Healthy Life June 2013 by Times Union Magazines

body. mind. spirit. A Times Union Publication

june 2013

No More

‘Mom’

Jeans!

Going

Paleo

Nurturing

Nature

Gardening feeds your spirit

Exercises that

Stick

Choose the right one for YOU!

Plus...

• golf, anyone? • summer skin care • learn to delegate

Shampoo Mistakes

bite-sized lessons Chocolate Craving? Reward yourself with a healthy alternative during your next chocolate indulgence. Loaded with monounsaturated healthy fats in avocados and rich in cell-protecting antioxidants from cocoa, this nutritious dessert may help with high blood pressure, protect against heart disease, and promote good health.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse Serves: 2 Ingredients: 1 large ripe avocado, pit and skin removed 1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 cup honey 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon Directions: Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and mix until smooth. Serve immediately or chill before serving. Nutrition Facts, Amount Per Serving: Calories, 320 Total Fat, 16g Sat Fat, 3g Trans Fat, 0g Cholesterol, 0g Sodium, 10mg Total Carbohydrate, 51g Dietary Fiber, 11g Sugars, 36g Protein, 4g

Craving more? Join your Hannaford dietitians for FREE nutrition classes and in-store demos. Go to hannaford.com/dietitians for upcoming FREE events and a monthly schedule.

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1 avocado

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HealthyLife is published ten times per year. If you are interested in receiving home delivery of HealthyLife magazine, please call (518) 454-5768 or email magcirculation@timesunion.com. For advertising information, please call (518) 454-5358. HealthyLife is published by Capital Newspapers and Times Union 645 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, NY 12212 518.454.5694 The entire contents of this magazine are copyright 2013 by Capital Newspapers. No portion may be reproduced in any means without written permission of the publisher. Capital Newspapers is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hearst Corporation.

Love the Way You Look!

Visit our State-of-the-Art location! 950 Route 146, Clifton Park www.almedspa.com Michael Salzman, M.D., P.C.

26 body

mind

every issue

22 Mix and Match

51 Ask Emma

8 talk back

52 My Sister, My Frenemy

12 editor’s note

Choosing an exercise program that will work for you

26 Swing Time

Golf: a great way to exercise in the warm weather

30 No Vacation from Allergies

Tips to eat safely while traveling

32 The Paleo Phenomenon Eating like our caveman ancestors

36 Opposite Days

Breakfast for dinner!

42 The Dry Zone

Fix it dehydrated skin

44 Hair Care

8 shampooing mistakes you’re likely making

46 Love Hurts

The physiology of heartbreak

healthylife

How to avoid suffering From sibling rivals to lasting friends

54 Overwhelmed?

Learning to delegate could change all that

spirit 59 My Word

10 on the web 14 fit & fab 16 news & views 20 did you know? 41 owner’s manual

Your kidneys — a primer

70 cover model Q&A

Up close with Amy Wendt

The ‘Good’ Mother

62 The Garden Connection For Margaret Roach, gardening is life

62 Pants Problems

Do your jeans fit you right?

Hair and makeup by Kimberley’s A Day Spa, Latham, (518) 785-5868. Select clothing available at Boscov’s Clifton Park, Clifton Park Center, (518) 348-0800. On the cover and on the right: Jacket by Premise, pants by Skye’s The Limit, all jewelry by Ashley Cooper. Photos taken by Suzanne Kawola at the New York State Museum.

June 2013

62 70

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talk back

The story behind the story from our contributors Shampooing Mistakes

Getting Back to Your Roots

Pants Party

Brianna Snyder  I had no idea what sulfates were before talking to local salon owners about best shampooing practices. Sulfates are what make your shampoo lather up, but they also can irritate your scalp and fry your hair. As with all things these days, it’s better to go for natural alternatives. See Briannas’s story on page 44.

Beth Cooney  I long believed Paleo eaters were fitness buffs who valued the diet as part of their efforts to cultivate a long, lean look. What I didn’t realize was that many folks use the dietary principles of eating caveperson-style to address diseases and conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid conditions and psoriasis. Reporting this story became even more fascinating as I spoke to people who found eating this way good for their bodies and their health. See Beth’s story on page 32.

Kristi Barlette  Jeans are one of the few clothing items where you really do get what you pay for. The cut, fabric and color are more flattering on higher-end denim. From a fashion and figure-flattery standpoint, women should save their money for one pair of really great jeans, rather than buying three pair of mediocre pants. See Kristi’s story on page 66.

Only Love Can Break Your Heart Elizabeth Keyser  Interviewing medical doctors and therapists about the physiology of heartbreak taught me that a broken heart is true mental and physical pain. If I meet a young person suffering from heartbreak, I’ll take it seriously and urge them to get help working through it to restore their sense of self and purpose. See Elixabeth’s story on page 46.

join the conversation!

! n i w or a Like us f win o chance t of s all kind ! free stuff

facebook.com/ HealthyLifeNYmagazine

Sibling Rivarly Laurie Lynn Fischer  Growing up, my older sister and I often fought with each other. Our relationship improved immensely once we reached college age. Researching this article made me realize that this is a common pattern, especially when there’s a two-year age difference like ours. See Laurie’s story on page 52.

healthylife

Wendy Page  Going through the motions of exercise may not get you the best results if you’re not mentally connected to the exercise. Find what exercise you like to do, and you’ll be more apt to actually do it and benefit from it. I’m still searching for the exercise that I like (it’s my new excuse). See Wendy’s story on page 22.

We asked, you answered!  How do you make sure you stay hydrated? Do you just drink water? Or are you a Crystal Light lover? Bichi: Mojito flavor Crystal Light ... the best! Patrick: Mio!!!!! Linda: water, herbal tea or Kool-Aid mixed with NutraSweet Corri: water

Wheel of Fitness

 One fruit I couldn’t live without is ... Tony: Bananas.

 In the summertime, the shoes I wear most are …

Cari: ORANGES

Merci: NONE!!!!

Donna: GRAPES!

 What are your favorite, most comfortable clothes?

Melissa: apples... Denise: Apples from the great state of New York. Marcia: Strawberries Patrick: Tomatoes Susan: Watermelon

Corri: shorts and a tank top.

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BEHIND THE SCENES After reading our Q&A with cover model Amy Wendt on page 70, head online to read about the shoot and see more pictures!

healthylife

blogs

PALEO RECIPE Are you on the Paleo diet? Thinking about starting? Read all about it on page 32, and head online for Paleofriendly recipes like Chocolate Chili, Coconut-Almond Green Beans and Peach Almond Crisp.

Midlife Mom Rebecca Haynes, editor of HealthyLife Connecticut, offers her perspective on life and motherhood while she navigates the teen years and beyond.

Writer and freelance editor Beth Cooney scans the web to bring you the latest info and tips for healthy living.

Healthy Life ONLINE EXTRAS Yogurt rules. And you make your own! Check out our onlineonly story. And then click over to our other Web exclusive on dealing with dementia. All online at timesunion.com/healthylife

healthylife

Writer and designer Carin Lane shares her success stories with losing weight her way â&#x20AC;&#x201D; without a gym membership, a personal trainer, or special foods.

COOKBOOK Want a delicious recipe for Huevos Rancheros Tacos and Moroccan Chicken Cinnamon Rolls? Head to timesunion.com/ healthylife.

Illustration: Computer mouse, ÂŠIrina Iglina/Dreamstime.com.

Healthy Tips

Which hospital provides the best results for patients with complex neurological and neurosurgical needs?

The Answer is Albany Med.

We offer breakthrough treatments by world-class specialists, the most advanced procedures available, and state-of-the-art operating and treatment suites. Our collaboration and expertise provide the best outcomes for our patients. When you need expert care for your brain, spine and nervous system,

THE ANSWER IS ALBANY MED.

www.amc.edu/neuroexperts

editor’s note

Jeans Genie

photo by Krista Hicks Benson.

or pants that are supposed to be all about casual living, jeans c an make life remarkably complicated. Back in the day — yes, I’m dating myself here — finding jeans was fairly simple. The options were Lee or Levi’s, flared or straight. End of decision making. Today, the options, and what’s trending, seem to change almost daily. Boot cut? Skinny? Dark wash? Low-rise? And don’t even get me started on sizing or the number of companies making jeans supposedly for me me me! Not surprisingly, a lot of women own multiple pairs of jeans — and most often reach for the same one or maybe two every single time they open their closet door. It’s just easier. And yet, I’m the first to admit I’m always on the prowl for the next best pair. We’ve all owned them — the pair that when we slip them on, we are immediately at home in our bodies. They put us at ease. Whatever we pair with those pants is going to be just fine, thankyouverymuch. Here’s hoping our story on page 66 helps you find your next pair of favorite jeans. HL

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fit and fab

▶ See Me Run! Under Armour is at the top of its game with this moisture-wicking, anti-microbial gear. No matter what your body type, these super-lightweight shorts provide full coverage with the loose outer layer and fitted under-short. Pair these with the racer-back mesh top that lets your arms move freely and prevents chafing; it also features reflective material to keep you in sight. $49.99 and 34.99. Available at Dick's Sporting Goods and Under Armour Factory House in Lake George, or visit underarmour.com.

by carin lane

▲ Fleet Feet More runners than ever are wearing these barefoot sneakers as they take to the road. The latest Vibram FiveFinger SeeYa LS sneakers are ultra-lightweight, grip the ground, provide flexibility for a more natural movement, and come in some fabulous styles. Best of all, you can just toss them in the wash after a run and leave them to air dry until you're ready to head back out. $100. Available at Fleet Feet and EMS, or visit vibramfivefingers.com.

It's 5K season! Whether you're an avid runner or just starting out, this Fit and Fab gear will have you ready to rock. For more Fit and Fab goodies, go to timesunion.com/ healthylife. Have a new product you’d like to share? E-mail Carin at clane@timesunion.com.

You can visit Carin on facebook at facebook.com/carinlane. healthylife or follow her on twitter @ tiredorinspired and Pinterest at pinterest.com/carinlane

▼ Staying Cool You'll feel 10 degrees cooler with this Brooks light-colored mesh cap to protect your head from the beating sun. With various fun patterns to choose from, mesh panels and a perforated bill to allow for airflow, and stretch spandex material that provides the perfect fit, this hat is a no-brainer. $20. Available at sporting goods stores including Dick's Sporting Goods, or visit brooksrunning.com.

▲ See Ya! Anderson Cooper taught us that even eyeballs can get sunburned. Protect your peepers with these greatlooking Oakley polarized warm-up sunglasses that stay in place to give you full coverage plus 100 percent protection from UVA, UVB, UVC and harmful blue light. Their style flatters any face shape, and they're also available with prescription lenses. $170. Available at Dick's Sporting Goods, Finish Line, Lenscrafters and Sunglass Hut, or visit oakley.com.

healthylife

◀ Staying on Track The key to running

faster is to outdo your last run. What better way to track your times on as many as 50 past runs — not to mention your distance, pace and calories burned — than with this Nike+ SportWatch powered by TomTom's tracking system? You can also upload your data to NIkeplus.com, and join challenges with friends and others on Facebook and Twitter. The personal coaching will help you stay on top — and remind you to go for a run. $169. Available at sporting goods stores including Dick's Sporting Goods, or visit nike.com.

The end of cancer

begins with research.

Members of the NYOH staff, clockwise: Dr. Lawrence Garbo, Chairman, Research Committee; Sharon Krause, RN, Director, Research Dept.; Carrie Kreitner, RN, Certiﬁed Adult Nurse Practitioner; Dr. Karen Tedesco, Director, Hereditary Cancer Risk Assessment Program; and Debra Yelenak, MT, Laboratory Supervisor.

As the region’s leading provider of community based cancer care, New York Oncology Hematology plays a pivotal role in the FDA approval process of cancer ﬁghting drugs. Through its afﬁliation with The US Oncology Network, as well as participation in National Cancer Institute sponsored research projects, NYOH offers access to the most advanced research and treatment options, including clinical trials not available elsewhere in the region. For information, call the award-winning NYOH Research Department at 489-3612, ext. 1342.

www.newyorkoncology.com Albany • Amsterdam • Hudson • Latham • Rexford • Troy

news and views compiled by beth cooney

Death by Soda recent attempt to ban supersized sodas seemed a little overzealous to some critics, but new research suggests the mayor may really save some lives if it goes into effect. That’s one interpretation you could make from a study recently presented at an American Heart Association conference, which blames sugary drinks (think soda, fruity drinks and sports thirst-quenchers) with a whopping 180,000 worldwide deaths a year. Harvard researchers suggest in their study that these drinks are a major factor in the diabetes epidemic and contribute to some 25,000 American deaths each year. If that isn’t enough for you to dump your soft drink habit (and discourage kids from sipping sugary drinks), consider this: Latin American countries, which have high rates of sugary drink consumption, had very high rates of death associated with this phenomenon. Meanwhile, Japan, which has one of the lowest rates of soda consumption, showed low death rates associated with sweetened drinks. source: tinyurl.com/hl13soda

Dementia and Alzheimer’s Crisis IN A SOBERING STATISTIC for the Baby Boomer gen-

eration (as well as their adult children), it is now reported that one out of three elderly Americans dies suffering from issues related to Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association recently released its 2013 annual summary of disease facts and figures, including the fact that 5 million Americans are suffering from the cognitive diminishment associated with the mentally wasting disease. The implications for families and loved ones of Alzheimer’s sufferers are equally devastating. In 2012 some 15 million unpaid caregivers provided 17 billion hours of care to people suffering from the neurological disorder. This disturbing news makes it even more vital for adults to do everything possible to prevent the illness. Healthy lifestyle habits such as regular exercise, consumption of a healthy diet, maintaining a normal weight and doing brain-stimulating activities, such as crossword puzzles, are all known to help prevent Alzheimer’s. source: tinyurl.com/hl13alzheimer

healthylife

Photos: Soda, ©iStockphoto.com/FL-photography; Women doing crossword puzzle, Maskot/GettyImages; Coffee mugs. © Darren Fisher/Dreamstime.com; Bubble gum, appleuzr/GettyImages.

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR Michael Bloomberg’s

Sip

Prescription

A of Stroke Prevention

WARNING

EVER WATCH a commercial for a

ing green tea may be helping you keep your risk of stroke a sip or two away. Japanese researchers have concluded the simple act of having a daily cup of antioxidant-rich green tea or a cup of caffeine-rich coffee can be correlated with a diminished risk of stroke in that nation’s populace. Indeed, researchers, who studied a group of some 83,000 Japanese men and women and looked at data over a 13-year period found that having a cup of coffee or green tea daily could reduce stroke risk by as much as 20 percent. The researchers, who reported their findings recently in the journal Stroke, did not establish a specific cause-and-effect relationship or explain exactly why these beverages may reduce stroke risk. While it’s unproven yet, they suspect that some known anti-inflammatory properties in caffeine and healthful micronutrients known as catechins in green tea, may be beneficial.

prescription medication and fixate on whether you need it? In the case of a popular class of medications to treat high blood pressure, researchers say TV commercials appear to influence how many people demand these drugs from their doctors. A new study conducted by researchers at Cornell University has found that TV advertising may be driving the overprescription of statins, which are treated to lower bad LDL cholesterol. Their analyses suggest that adults who had been exposed to statin ads were 16 to 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with high cholesterol, and 16 to 22 percent more likely to be using statins. Interestingly, the likelihood of both a diagnosis of high cholesterol and increased statin use was driven almost exclusively by men and women at low risk for future cardiac events. Conversely, those at high risk of heart disease exposed to statin ads on TV were not more likely to be taking a statin. The study was reported recently in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

source: tinyurl.com/hl13stroke

source: tinyurl.com/hl13commercials

YOUR DAILY CUP of java or morn-

Chew on This

SURE, SOME PEOPLE CRINGE when they hear the sound

of gum-snapping. But if you’re trying to give yourself a competitive edge you may want to chew away. British researchers have found that study participants who chewed gum for an extended period of time did better on a variety of tests that assessed their ability to memorize difficult number sequences. The researchers at Cardiff University suggested the chewing helped with cognitive function and concentration during a difficult task. “Interestingly participants who didn’t chew gum performed slightly better at the beginning of the task but were overtaken by the end,” researcher Kate Morgan reports in a news release issued by the British Psychological Association. “This suggests that chewing gum helps us focus on tasks that require continuous monitoring over a longer amount of time.” Of course, the other fringe benefit to all that chewing can be minty fresh breath. Just refrain from the snapping, please. source: tinyurl.com/hl13gumchew continued on page 18 

timesunion.com/HealthyLife

news and views continued from page 17

Healthy Marriages FOR YEARS NOW the research buzz has

suggested a strong correlation between the benefits of marriage and longevity. The thinking disseminated by scores of studies was that it takes two to live long and emotionally prosper. But a new study out of Ohio State University (in collaboration with researchers at the University of Texas at Austin) suggests marriage is the most beneficial when the couples involved are healthy. In other words, healthy divorced, single and separated folks don’t need to rush to the altar to obtain the RX benefits of matrimony.

Hormone Therapy and GALLSTONES MENOPAUSAL WOMEN who take

hormone replacement pills seem to be at greater risk of needing surgery to treat gallstones, according to a study recently published in the journal of the Canadian Medical Association. Interestingly, women who wear an estrogen patch to help ease symptoms related to menopause do not seem to have a higher incidence of gallbladder disease. Researchers in France, where transdermal hormone patches tend to be preferred over pills often prescribed in North America, compared the two medication options to see if there were different risks and side effects. They discovered hormone pill-takers have much higher rates of gallbladder surgery. The study, however, did not establish a specific cause-and-effect relationship. “Complicated gallstone disease should be added to the list of potential adverse events to be considered when balancing the benefits and risks associated with menopausal hormone therapy,” says Dr. Antoine Racine, of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research and Paris-Sud University in a CMAJ press release. source: tinyurl.com/hl13gallstones

healthylife

“We believe marriage is still good for the health of some people, but it is not equally protective for everyone,” says Hul Zheng, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of sociology at OSU. “For those who are already in poor health, marriage doesn’t seem to provide any extra benefits.” In another interesting finding that may allude to how people perceive the benefits of partnership, the researchers found married people tend to overestimate how healthy they are! source: tinyurl.com/hl13benefits

Protein Respite

WANT TO CUT DOWN on those

night-time snack attacks and junk food binges? Eat a protein-packed breakfast. That’s the advice from experts at the University of Missouri, who say that in a study of young adults they found that eating a protein-rich breakfast of eggs or lean beef curbed their appetites for high-fat, high-sugar foods later in the day. In their study, which also included groups of breakfast skippers and cereal-andmilk eaters, it was the protein-eating group who told researchers they were less hungry at meals throughout the day and less likely to crave junk food. The researchers suggest that their findings may have implications for anyone trying to lose weight and make healthier food choices throughout the day. source: tinyurl.com/hl13protein

False Positive Trauma

Photos: Senior couple, Huntstock/GettyImages; Fried egg, Donald Erickson/GettyImages; Pink pills, © mushisushi/Dreamstime.com; Mammogram, Keith Brofsky/GettyImages; Woman on cell phone, Robert Nicholas/GettyImages.

ANY WOMAN who’s ever had a sus-

picious or false-positive mammogram will tell you the experience is devastatingly frightening. And now, researchers in Denmark suggest women can carry the trauma of such false-positive cancer screenings for years to come. A new study published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that the psychological effects of getting a false-positive mammogram result can linger for as long as three years. Indeed, the researchers found anxiety levels were on par with women who received a positive cancer diagnosis. The researchers from the University of Denmark further suggest that the trauma associated with such false positives should compel doctors to get news of women’s test results to them as quickly as possible, and also encourage them to suggest counseling to women who are struggling with anxiety related to their frightening initial results. Researchers suggest the false positives are devastating because they force women to confront their mortality. Meanwhile, after the study’s release the American College of Radiology responded with a statement suggesting the study had flaws. That body suggested, for example, that the researchers did not account for women who may have had family histories of breast cancer, a factor that may have played a role in their profound anxiety. source: tinyurl.com/hl13trauma

The Heart of Antibiotic Risks PLENTY OF US know someone who has taken the

popular antibiotic azithromycin to fight everything from strep throat to pneumonia. While these potent drugs can be life-saving as they combat dangerous infections, the federal Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that these popular antibiotics can also be associated with fatal heart rhythms. Azithromycin, sold under brand names such as Zithromax or Zmax, have a risk associated with fatal heart rhythms in certain circumstances. (Particularly vulnerable are the elderly and anyone with a prior heart irregularity.) As a result of the FDA’s recent ruling, these drug warning and precaution labels have been updated to make note of these potential risks. source: tinyurl.com/hl13antibioticv

MoreCell Phone Distractions DOES LISTENING to a one-sid-

ed cell phone conversation while you’re drying your salon manicure or standing in the supermarket line drive you bonkers? Well, you’re not alone. It turns out that being subjected to these one-sided conversations can be nearly as distracting as, well, texting while driving. Researchers at Cornell University, who recently reported their findings in the journal Plos One, say their research suggests that being exposed to secondhand cell phone conversations is a more distracting form of back-

ground noise than listening to an animated conversation between two people. Although researchers weren’t exactly sure why study participants were more distracted by a series of scripted one-side cell phone conversations (which focused on mundane topics such as furniture shopping and family birthday parties) they noted understanding this element of human response has real implications since Americans spent a whopping 2.3 trillion minutes on various wireless phones in 2012. source: tinyurl.com/hl13distraction

timesunion.com/HealthyLife

fast facts

did you know? On average, skin regenerates itself every 27 days. Regeneration is most intensive at night. source: tinyurl.com/ hl13skinreg

913

Running at 8 mph will burn 986 calories in an hour. Not a runner? Rollerblading burns 913 calories per hour. Jumping rope will burn up 730 calories an hour. And high-impact aerobics? That’s 511 calories burned per hour. (Based on a 160-pound person.) source: tinyurl.com/hl13running

228

percent Composting can reduce homeowner trash at the curb by 25 to 40 percent. Leaves, grass and kitchen scraps represent 30 percent of material that goes to landfills. source: tinyurl.com/hl13compost

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The highest recorded IQ score in the world (228) belongs to Marilyn vos Savant, an American magazine columnist, author, playwright and lecturer. She writes “Ask Marilyn” for the Sunday edition of Parade Magazine and solves her readers’ queries on a wide range of topics and puzzles. source: tinyurl.com/hl13iq

1873

Jeans are invented and patented by German immigrant Levi Strauss and Russian immigrant Jacob Davis. Today, U.S. consumers spend about $14 billion a year on jeans. source: tinyurl.com/hl13jeans

Photos: Rollerblader Hakan Hjort/GettyImages; Jeans, Jeffrey Kaphan/Getty Images; Compost, Martin Poole/GettyImages

compiled by brianna snyder

Keep healthy foods ➺ — fruits and veggies —

Photo: Chris Stein/GettyImages.

in clear bowls and the not-so-healthy stuff in a cabinet out of sight. Why? Research shows that women ate 71 percent more food from a clear bowl because it looked more appetizing.

body Pick your exercise 22 Golf is great! 26 Food allergies on vacation 30 Want to try Paleo? 32 Cookbook 36 Your kidneys — a primer 41 Avoid dry skin 42 Shampooing the right way 44 Heartbreak hurts 46 timesunion.com/HealthyLife

exercise

Runni n g ? Weight s?

? a b Zum choosing an exercise program that will work for you by wendy page

continued on page 24 

healthylife

Photo: Tom Fullum/GettyImages.

xercising regularly has one essential truth: If you don’t enjoy it, you’re not going to do it. Getting up to ride the elliptical bike in your basement at 5 a.m. may sound like the perfect exercise solution — The kids will be asleep! I don’t have to drive to a gym! I’ll fit it in before my workday starts! — but if you’re someone who can’t crawl out of bed when it’s dark, it’s not going to happen. So how do you figure out the exercise program/ equipment/strategy that will work best for you? The one that you’re actually going to enjoy and continue doing regularly? You have to discover your likes and dislikes, your goals and your mindset — and then sticking to it may not seem like exercise in the long run. “What is it that you do, that you like, that gets you going?” says Tim Valachovic, owner of Glenville Health and Fitness. That’s the question he asks new members who want to add exercise to their lives but unsure where to start. “I’ve got the experience using all the equipment,” he says. “You tell me what your interests are outside this, and we’ll work together.” Perhaps you’re motivated by working out with a partner, or maybe you need someone talking you through each step. A personal trainer might be just right. If dance and a group mentality resonate, Zumba classes might be attractive. If you prefer quiet and calm, yoga might be ideal.

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exercise

continued from page 22

Not all interests translate easily, however. Enjoying outdoor bike riding does not necessarily mean you’ll take to spinning. It’s also important to take ambience into account as you consider where/when/how you’ll exercise. Disliking loud music and/or designer gym wear can be off-putting and therefore a reason not to fulfill that gym membership. You and your workout place — whether it’s a gym or a yoga studio— need to be a good match “It’s all about you. It’s not about anyone else,” says Carrie Barown, personal trainer at Ciccotti Family Recreation Center.

Looking for Inspiration? Here are some exercise programs you might want to try.

Hot Yoga – This yoga is practiced in intense heat/

humidity. Classes run from beginners to advanced, and follow various styles of yoga. The tropical nature lends itself to detoxification and an increased heart rate.

Tabata – This high-intensity interval training is a cardio program that Valachovic calls “a kick-ass workout.”

Zumba – Think of this as a dance party masquerading as a workout, set to Latin-inspired music. It’s a real calorie burner.

Couch to 5K – Just as the name suggests, this is a

program to get you off the couch and running a 5K in a set amount of time.

P90X – Designed for you to do at home, fitness guru

Tony Horton talks you through a 90-day DVD program, explaining with each exercise how you can modify it either to make it easier or more intense. It involves cardio, yoga, free weights — and just about everything.

Walking - If you’re new to exercise, “start out with

a pedometer,” Gildersleeve suggests. “Take a hike or walk your dog. Be aware of your movement, or your lack of movement. Find ways within your day. Find more steps in the day.”

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Photo: GettyImages. Running, kristian sekulic; Zumba, Christopher Futcher; Push-ups, stevecoleimages; Yoga, yellowdog.

hecking out a full-service gym can be a great way to see what you might like. You can swim, use free weights, take classes, work with a personal trainer — or any combination therein. “We have programs that are beginner all the way up

, S G , N I S D N D O I E W RADUAT S E U Q G E B R A B to advanced,” says Nancy Gildersleeve, associate executive director of Schenectady YMCA, though she advises against trying something just once and making a rash decision. “Discover what you like within it. Be open to trying different things to find what’s the right fit for you. The key to exercise is to be patient and take gradual steps along the way. Don’t get discouraged. Put in the work to get to where you want to go.” Setting goals is also important to pinpointing the right exercise for you, experts say. If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know when you’ve gotten there. The goals often lend themselves to specific activities. “If you’re looking to run a 5K, for example, [doing] this will strengthen your calves,” says Valachovic. “If you’re hoping to lose weight, [doing this exercise] will help you. You may hate dumbbells, so this machine does the same thing in a different way.” An initial goal could be to exercise once a week for two months. Or it might be to lose pounds or inches. “Make short-term goals,” Gildersleeve says, “and celebrate those goals.” Goals help create accountability, which in turn can help make whatever exercise you choose a habit rather than a dream. “We do a full fitness assessment every eight weeks,” Barown says. “This is a big accountability factor. They’re thinking they have to come back [for an assessment] so they want to meet their goals.” Another way to keep on track? Friends. Attorney Jennifer Corona, mother of two in Loudonville, went to boot camp five days a week at 5:30 a.m. “The only way I made it there every morning was because I was meeting my friend,” Corona says. “I can guarantee I wouldn’t have made it out the door every day if she wasn’t meeting me there. It was great motivation.” Once you’ve picked an exercise that you like, it’s important not to be too rigid. Savvy exercisers know it’s important to mix things up — for both your psyche and your body. If all you do is run, only one set of muscles will be used, which can lead to increased chance of injury and, over time, less effectiveness in the exercise routine. Mixing in a little yoga or weight training, for instance, also helps prevent boredom. “Changing it up is always great advice,” Valachovic says. “However, if I can only get you to do that one elliptical, or that one spin class, do that. Do I want you to switch it up and try new exercises? Yes. But I want you to do what you want to do, and what you will do.” With the weather getting warmer, exercise can move outdoors, with plenty of new or varied options. Even if you stick with one thing — say, cycling — “Find new trails, discover new terrain to challenge yourself,” Gildersleeve says. “What makes it stick is that you get connected, whether to different classes, or a staff member — just find some connection.” HL

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exercise

Swing Time!

golf can be a great way to exercise in the warm weather

by john torsiello

healthylife

ment Award. “It is an exciting trend that I see continuing as PGA and LPGA professionals welcome women to the game and show them all the benefits golf offers to their lives.” The uptick in women’s interest in golf is not surprising given the increased interest in exercise in general. And, while humorist Mark Twain apparently once described golf as “a good walk spoiled,” the sport in fact can be great exercise — especially if you’re looking for something non-jarring. The PGA of America estimates that walking 18 holes, carrying a bag or using a hand/ pull cart, approximately equals a 5-mile walk. The total caloric expenditure for an 18-hole round is approximately 2,000 calories for walking while carrying clubs and 1,300 calories when riding in a cart. Since walking is bio-mechanically more efficient than running, playing an 18-hole round of golf is roughly equivalent to a 3.5- to 4-mile run. When walking 18 holes of golf, blood glucose levels can fall by 1030 percent depending on your age, while body weight is slightly reduced for all

FUN FACTS Playing an 18-hole round of golf is roughly equivalent to a 3.5- to 4-mile run.

 

Walking 18-holes of golf can drop blood glucose levels by up to 20 percent for the young, 10 percent for the middle-aged, and 30 percent for the elderly players. Golfers typically exceed 10,000 steps during a round of golf, which meets the guideline for exercise recommended by most medical and clinical physicians.



Photo: Jordan Siemens/GettyImages.

olf may have begun as a sport dominated by men, but just as more women have entered the workforce and the boardroom, increasing numbers of women are realizing the many benefits of golf. Noel Gebauer, manager and head professional at the Colonie Town Golf Course in Schenectady, says the number of women taking golf lessons at his facility increased greatly from the late 1990s until the mid-2000s, and that the percentage of women players increases each year. Of the 450 weekly league members who played at Colonie Town Golf Course in 2012, 160 were women. A study performed by the Boston Consulting Group in 2011, meanwhile, showed that 43 percent of the 90 million people who expressed the desire to play golf were women. “I have seen more women taking up the game,” says Suzy Whaley, teaching professional at the TPC River Highlands in Connecticut, former LPGA player and winner of the 2012 Nancy Lopez Golf Achieve-

groups. Regardless of handicap, gender or course played, golfers exceed 10,000 steps during a typical round of golf, which meets the guideline for exercise recommended by most medical and clinical physicians.

n the past, one of the deterrents to women taking up golf has been a perception — with some validity — that the game at many clubs is a male bastion and that male members would rather not have women on the course. The good news is that is changing as savvy golf course managers realize this untapped market. “Any golf course in this day and age that does not cater to kids, families, beginners and all levels of play will not survive in this economy,” says Julie Cole, managing partner of the Dana Rader Golf School, headquartered in North Carolina. Most courses now feature women’s leagues for a variety of levels, for instance, as well as other special features aimed at attracting female players to the game. Key to attracting women to golf, say those in the profession, is addressing the ways the game can be intimidating. “It may seem easy relatively speaking in terms of comparing golf to other sports, as the ball doesn’t move but remains stationary. However, anyone who has swung a golf club knows it isn’t that easy,” says Tracie Warner, executive director of the Northeastern New York State chapter of the PGA of America. “So, the difficulty of the sport itself makes it intimidating and a bit daunting.” It’s a struggle to replicate a really good swing each time, which means every golf shot usually has a wide range of success, and that’s an easy turn-off for some, says Warner. The individual rather than team focus can also turn off some, experts say. “Many women don’t seem to have the confidence, or simply feel much more comfortable in a team sport where they don’t have to stand out,” says Warner. Golf clubs can alleviate any apprehension a woman may feel about the game, however, starting — literally — at the front door, Warner says. “As a female, I prefer to have a golf facility staff person greet me and simply provide me with the rundown, i.e., where restrooms are, as well as the first tee, the driving range, etc.,” she says. “All of this could be listed under great customer service. But for females, it definitely helps alleviate any apprehension and is welcome.” Gebauer cites lessons as an important door-opener. “[Women] seek out instruction immediately, often along with friends, to begin their golf careers,” he says. “This is also why beginning female golfers tend to improve at a faster rate.” The social aspects of golf — from spending time with family members to networking with colleagues, can be an allure too. “The social benefits are vital for women: having personal time and even the opportunity for built-in quality time with family, if their spouse or kids play, not to mention the business opportunities that are presented through golf,” Warner says. “It is a lifetime sport and that in itself is a tremendous benefit.” Turn the page for tips on getting started, and more 

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exercise

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continued from page 27

Getting Started Suzy Whaley, a former LPGA player and winner of the 2012 Nancy Lopez Golf Achievement Award, suggests a program called “Get Golf Ready.” For $99, at most facilities, you receive five lessons, including an on-course lesson from a PGA or LPGA instructor at a facility near where you live. Another option is to visit the Capital Region Executive Women’s Golf Association website (ewgacapitalregion. com). The organization conducts a number of leagues for women at various courses in the area, ranging from those for beginners to advanced players, as well as clinics and outings. You can also simply check with your local course to find out how to become involved in a women’s league or schedule a lesson.

Where to Go Here’s a partial list of area golf courses to get you started.

Staying Healthy Most golf injuries are the result of improper grip and swing mechanics, and a lack of fitness and flexibility. Injuries typically occur in the soft tissues (muscle, ligaments, tendons) and joints of the upper body (back, elbow, wrist and shoulder). Here are some tips to help prevent injuries: • shorten your backswing slightly (end with the club head at a 1 o’clock rather than 3 o’clock) • strengthen the rotator cuff and scapular muscles • strengthen the chest and back muscles that generate the power in the swing • take a lesson with a professional to refine your swing so it is fluid. To help prevent hand, wrist and elbow pain and injuries try: • selecting larger club grips • using softer grips • using a neutral grip • selecting irons with large heads and “sweet spots” to lessen vibration • selecting graphite shafts to lessen vibration • selecting the correct club length (the end of the club should extend slightly beyond the palm of the leading hand) • strengthening the forearm muscles. Doing some simple exercises before you play, such as neck rolls, shoulder stretches, hamstring stretches, trunk side bends and trunk rotation, as well as swinging a club gently (start with a half swing and work up to a full swing after several minutes, while focusing on proper mechanics and a slow easy stroke), also helps ensure you’re warmed up and ready to play. source: About.com article on Sports Medicine by Elizabeth Quinn

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safe eating

No Vacation from

Food Allergies how to eat safely while traveling by sandra diamond fox | photos by krista hicks benson

lbany resident Kristy Grund is looking forward to her summer vacation. But while she knows she and her family will enjoy Aruba’s beaches, water and sun, she’s already stressing over what she’ll eat. “I have celiac disease and sensitivity to MSG, soy, dairy, food additives and highly processed starches,” Grund says, adding that when she eats foods that don’t agree with her she can experience stomach pain, acid reflux and extreme fatigue — symptoms she definitely wants to avoid on vacation. While it’s challenging living with celiac disease or food allergies while you’re at home, doing so when you’re on vacation can cause even more stress. So to ensure she enjoys her vacations, Grund always has a food plan in place. “I do a lot of legwork prior to traveling,” says Grund, “As soon as I find out what restaurant I will be dining at, I call ahead and request to speak with the head chef. I explain to him or her what my needs are.” According to Albany nutritionist Lacey Wilson, anyone answers the restaurant phone should be able to answer your meal questions. “Everyone in that facility should be knowledgeable about their practices with regard to people with food intolerances and allergies,” she says. “If it’s a crazy Fri-

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day night a lot of the bartenders, hostesses and other frontend people may have to step in, and the more people who know about your issue, the better.” Wilson recommends asking restaurant staff open-ended questions such as “What processes do you take to prepare gluten-free meals?” versus yes and no questions such as “Can you serve gluten-free meals?” Answers should include cleaning and sanitizing areas including the grill top, oven and kitchen utensils, and washing hands right before preparing customers’ meals. These precautions help prevent crosscontamination, which occurs when the food that’s safe for you to eat is cooked in a pan or grill that has just been used to cook someone else’s food that isn’t. Once you’re at the restaurant and about to order, be sure to reiterate your food intolerances to the waiter or chef, explains Marianne Romano, a registered dietitian and certified dietitian nutritionist in Albany. “If you have gluten intolerance, when your entrée is brought to your table, you’ll want to cue in the waitress and ask, ‘This is gluten-free, right?’ to ensure he or she brought you the right dish.” Maura Gannon of Albany, who has celiac disease, travels both regionally and internationally several times a year. From past experience, she has some tips to share. “Whenever I or-

der sautéed vegetables, I always make sure they aren’t seasoned with anything,” Gannon says. “A lot of restaurants will season sautéed vegetables with vegetable broth or canned stocks. Chances are all these have a gluten additive in them. The same is true for steak or chili seasonings. In general, I’m careful about eating any food that’s packaged, since gluten is usually injected into packaged food,” says Gannon, who is general manager and owner of Taste, an Albany restaurant that offers over two dozen meals for people with glutenintolerance. Whenever Grund goes on vacation, she often eats food she prepares herself. “I’ve usually come up with a rough meal plan before I even leave home, so I’m prepared with a list of foods I can eat,” she says. “I typically hit the grocery store soon after I arrive.” When she goes on day trips, she brings an insulated lunch box. “When I do eat out, I either go to a restaurant with a glutenfree menu or to one that prepares foods from scratch and with fewer processed ingredients. I tend to have more options at diners and local, family-owned restaurants,” Grund says. “Fast food chains’ entire menus are usually riddled with gluten, soy, MSG, highly refined starch, sugar and chemicaltype ingredients.” When you’re in an airport, be aware of airport security regulations. “[Yogurt] comes through as a liquid,” Romano says as an example. “Instead, bring non-perishable foods Resources: allergyfreepassport. com provides free downloadable translation cards in various languages as well as multilingual phrase guides for allergy-free travel to foreign language-speaking countries.

such as bars, nuts, or crackers. Once you get through security, you can buy yogurt at a shop in the airport.” At a hotel, request that your room have a refrigerator to store perishable items and an ice pack. “Sometimes the hotel staff will put one in your room for free or charge you a small fee like $10,” Romano says. According to Kim Koehler, co-author of Let’s Eat Out with Celiac/Coeliac & Food Allergies!: A Timeless Reference for Special Diets, everyone, no matter what kind of food allergy they have, should be able to enjoy the experience of dining out and going on vacation. “Eating is very social. It shouldn’t have a negative impact on the quality of your life,” says Koehler, founder and president of Gluten Free/Allergy Free Passport, a health education firm in Illinois that promotes awareness of celiac disease, food allergies and special diets. Koeller suggests people with food allergies remember three key points when eating out and traveling: education, communication and preparation. “Educate yourself on the ingredients and preparation of meals,” says Koeller, who has celiac disease and over a dozen food-related allergies and intolerances. When you’re ordering at a restaurant, “don’t give the wait staff a laundry list of foods you can’t have,” Koehler says. “Just ask questions about the specific dish you’re ordering. Find out how they modify the preparation of it to ensure you won’t get sick.” “When traveling to a foreign country, bring dining cards with you that indicate upfront the foods you can’t eat, in the language spoken in that country. You can find these cards on my website, glutenfreepassport.com,” Koehler says. “I never leave home without mine.” Bottom line, eating outside the home is always a little dicey for those with food allergies. If Grund has any doubts whether or not something is safe, she always goes with her gut. “If I don’t feel fully comfortable and confident by the end of the conversation with the chef or wait staff, then I won’t eat there,” she says. “The risk of eating something that might make me sick is enough to keep me away from any place. It’s not worth the anxiety to me.” HL

Safe Vacation Practices Our experts recommend the following for people with gluten and food allergies to help them eat safely while traveling:





Ask for a refrigerator in your hotel room, then buy items you know are safe at a local market.

Call

Carry



a small cooler bag with safe food items while on daily excursions.



Educate

yourself on the ingredients and preparation of meals that are safe for you to eat.



ahead to restaurants where you plan to dine and speak to the head chef about their abilities to prepare gluten-free meals, avoid crosscontamination, and cater to your specific food allergy.

you’re traveling internationally, carry cards that say what you can’t eat in the language of the country you’re visiting.

timesunion.com/HealthyLife

smart eating

Paleo

— The Perfect Nutrition? why some people are eating like our caveman ancestors

by beth cooney

Stop breakfasting with milk and granola. And just forget about tucking into Nona’s Sunday pasta dinners. Cavemen and women didn’t eat that stuff. And if you want to partake in the Paleo diet phenomenon, it’s going to require thinking completely outside the processed macaroni and cheese box to eat the way your cave clan ancestors did way back in the day. The premise of the Paleo Diet is simple: Eat things that freely roamed, swam or grew on Mother Earth before the creation of agribusiness (or food factories) and you will be a leaner, meaner, healthier version of yourself. Think for a minute about what a cave family could easily hunt or fish, pluck from a tree or pull from the ground with their bare hands and you get the basic idea of what’s allowed and what’s verboten when you go Paleo. (See sidebar.) Besides all processed food, also not consistent with a Paleo lifestyle are cultivated food stuffs — such as wheats, grains, rices and legumes (that includes peanuts — or milked things (such as dairy products) that wouldn’t have been part of the typical cave cupboard. Go Paleo and you’re also supposed to stick with meats, fish and poultry that are fed what they normally consume in nature. So eating cattle that’s been force-fed corn (when a roaming beast would chow on grass) you go Paleo-astray.

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So if you convert to a Paleo diet or adopt a semi-Paleo lifestyle, as Andrea Bartfield of Slingerlands did in August 2012, you might eat her typical menu of homemade vegetable soups and salads topped with lean protein for lunch and make something yummy such as salmon and vegetables or meatballs resting on a bed of sautéed spaghetti squash for dinner. Paleo-approved dark chocolate is among her favorite quick and easy desserts. Bartfield was first exposed to the diet while visiting her adult son in his adopted home of California. Her youngest son, 23, is a former vegetarian who had gone Paleo. As she noshed on Paleo-forbidden corn chips and he told her about his diet, “I’ve got to admit it: I thought it was a little wacky,” she says. But after she came back to New York, “I did the research and said, ‘Hey there’s something to this.’ When it comes to my health, I like to challenge myself and I figured I’d give it a try. What I couldn’t believe when I started eating this way was how much better I felt and how much more energy I had.” In fitness circles, Paleo eating can seem like a bona fide

Photos: GettyImages. Raw Meat, Vincent Besnault; Groceries, Image Studios.

Toss the beer and cheese pizza.

trend. Go to any Crossfit gym — home of a hot workout modality that involves intense weight training and calisthenic moves — and you’ll often find a room full of Paleo eaters who swear that their diet (along with their intense workouts) has helped them cultivate their lean look. But Andrea Devlin, a trainer at Crossfit Albany, says going Paleo has helped her do more than stay buff. “I feel better after my workouts,” she explains. “I think because the diet does a lot to reduce inflammation in the body, I just don’t hurt as much after a tough workout.” Even though the diet is particularly popular with Crossfit enthusiasts, “it’s not a fad. It’s the way that humans have been eating for 99.9 percent of their existence,” says Dr. David Brady, director of the Human Nutrition Institute at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, who often lectures on the benefits of eating the Paleo way. Although Brady tends to follow a more Mediterranean diet, which allows for the consumption of modest amounts of dairy and whole grains, he says the principles of Paleo eating are in line with the way we were genetically hardwired to digest food. Take, for example, grain-based foods: “It’s only been in the last 2,000 years that we had mass agriculture. And only in the last 50 years that we’ve had modified agriculture and only in the last 10 or so years that we’ve had genetically modified foods,” Brady explains. “It’s not how we evolved and not something our bodies are really meant to be eating.” The Paleo Diet was introduced into mainstream diet culture about a decade ago when Dr. Loren Cordain, a professor at Colorado State University, first advocated cavemanstyle eating as a way of optimizing health and fitness. Brady notes that Cordain “is a serious academic who is well-regarded for his credentials and research.” Yet, Brady adds the Paleo diet is sometimes unfairly written off as faddish quackery “because [Cordain] is bucking a lot of special interests. The food industry, in particular, doesn’t like what he has to say.” Indeed, Paleo eaters — who are attracted to the diet for reasons that range from addressing specific health concerns to optimizing their fitness — say the diet has changed their well-being, sometimes drastically. “You find people drawn to it for a variety of reasons because it has health benefits for everyone,” says Melissa Joulwan, a Texasbased author of the popular cookbook Well

Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat and a related blog, The Clothes Make the Girl. While Joulwan was first drawn to Paleo while working out at a Crossfit gym, she stuck with the dietary approach after she moved onto other fitness disciplines because it helped her manage her weight and her health following the removal of her thyroid for a tumor disorder. “Because of its anti-inflammatory nature my body really has to eat this way in order to be healthy. But it’s also important to say I was chubby all my life and I stopped being so chubby when I started eating this way.” Joulwan, who also wrote Living Paleo for Dummies, says the reason Paleo eating has such broad appeal with fitnessminded individuals is because of its relatively low simplecarbohydrate load. “When you eat Paleo, you go from being a sugar burner to a fat burner. It gets results for people who are serious about cultivating that lean look.” Indeed, Bartfield says without changing her workouts much (she favors Nis dance classes) she has lost eight pounds since going Paleo. Devlin adds, “I’ve seen a lot of clients get results that had been elusive until they began to eat this way.” As for incorporating the diet into her busy life, Bartfield says, “Beyond clearing my cupboards of the wrong stuff and having the right food in the house to cook, it hasn’t involved that much effort.” continued on page 35 

Going Cavewoman: Paleo Diet Basics JUST SAY YES TO…

JUST SAY NO TO…

• Protein (the consumption of grass-fed meats, freerange poultry and wild-caught seafood are encouraged.)

• Cereals and Grains (This includes highfiber, whole-grain breads and pastas, rice, couscous and quinoa)

• Fruits and Veggies (Organic is strongly preferred)

• Dairy

• Nuts and Seeds (But not peanuts, as they are actually a legume) • Healthful Oils (Try olive, flaxseed, walnut, macadamia and coconut oils) • Wine and Tequila (Because they are made from fermented grapes and cactus)

• Refined Sugar (some Paleo eaters allow honey) • Processed Foods • Potatoes (Except for sweet potatoes, which are OK) • Legumes • Salt • Beer and other grain-based alcoholic beverages — source: ThePaleoDiet.com

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smart eating continued from page 33

That said, the list of things a Paleo eater is supposed to shun to achieve those results can seem discouragingly long. And it can be tough to eat Paleo and socialize, says Devlin, explaining “It’s weddings and parties that are hard.” While cheese is not part of the Paleo diet, Bartfield says strict adherence would seem too zealous for her. “I love cheese and have kind of decided not to go without it although it’s not Paleo,” says Bartfield, who has no guilt about putting some goat cheese on a salad now and then. That said, she doesn’t find the diet difficult, although she suspects the fact that her children are grown and she’s just cooking for herself and her husband has made the transition easier.“I actually think it simplifies things for me,” she says. “I keep what I need in the cupboard and there are really no questions at meal time.”

artfield also noticed something other Paleo fans (including Joulwan) often mention as a wonderful fringe benefit of ditching wheat, dairy and processed foods. “I wake up with fewer aches and pains and sleep better. It’s really been remarkable in terms of what eliminating some foods from your diet can do.” Joulwan says as much as she values the diet for her own health and fitness, eating Paleo “100 percent of the time” is especially challenging for families on a budget. And it can be equally daunting for moms and dads raising picky eaters. “It’s a diet that requires a great deal of thought and commitment and it can be very expensive to eat this way,” she says, adding it’s hard to trim the expenses associated with eating grass-fed meats or organic fruits and veggies. “I don’t have children, so it’s pretty easy for my husband and I to eat this way. I can go out for a burger with my friends after a day of shopping and just not eat the bun. I can have a glass of wine instead of a beer. It’s not that difficult, but I realize how this could be tough for a family trying to keep their grocery bill under control or for someone who has a child who only wants to eat mac and cheese.” Some critics have publicly asserted the diet is not supported by a substantial amount of long-term clinical research and fails to take into consideration seemingly conflicting

studies that demonstrated the health benefits of foods such as whole grains, low-fat dairy and legumes. (See sidebar on the Paleo Diet’s take on calcium.) Brady is a fan of many aspects of the Paleo diet, but would prefer it include legumes. While legumes are a food source said to be unfamiliar to our cave ancestors, they are an excellent low-fat, vegetarian source of protein, he says. That said, he says he often recommends a Paleo approach to anyone suffering from an autoimmune or inflammation-related disorder such as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. “Some of the foods that are excluded from the Paleo diet are known to cause inflammation and just wreak havoc with the immune system, so this is really the way to go if you want to address these disorders nutritionally. For this population, eating this way can be lifechanging.” I actually think As for the challenges of eatit simplifies things ing Paleo, its proponents say even ditching things such as for me ... I keep (it’s made from grains!) what I need in the beer and pizza are worth it. When HL spoke with Joulwan, she cupboard and had just ended a weekend there are really where she went off her Paleo no questions diet and splurged on a little French bread and organic ice at meal time. cream and “today I have two pimples,” she says. While that may sound like a small, occasional price to pay for a good dish of homemade ice cream, she explains when she first switched to her Paleo diet “my skin cleared up.” Still, Joulwan doesn’t preach Paleo purity but says that eating like a caveperson “as much as you can as well as you can will make just about anyone look and feel better.” HL

“

”

For online paleo recipes Chocolate Chili, CoconutAlmond Green Beans, Peach Almond Crisp, visit timesunion.com/healthylife.

Photo: © iStockphoto.com/Rafa Irusta

What about calcium? If the dairy-free premise of the Paleo diet has you worrying about your bone health, there’s good cause. The brittle bone disorders osteoporosis and its precursor condition, osteopenia, are serious concerns for women as they advance into the postmenopausal years. Here’s what the Paleo diet’s founder, Dr. Loren Cordain, had to say about dairy-free Paleo on the diet’s official website: “In the U.S., calcium intake is one of the highest in the world. Yet paradoxically, we also have one of the highest rates of bone demineralization (osteoporosis). Bone mineral content is dependent not just upon calcium intake, but upon net calcium balance (calcium intake minus calcium excretion). Most nutri-

tionists focus upon the calcium intake side of the calcium balance equation; however few realize that the calcium excretion side of the equation is just as important.” He explains that, “Because the average American diet is overloaded with grains, cheeses, salted processed foods, and fatty meats at the expense of fruits and vegetables, it produces a net acid load and promotes bone demineralization. By replacing hard cheeses, cereal grains and processed foods with plenty of green vegetables and fruits, the body comes back into acid/base balance which brings us also back into calcium balance.

— source: The PaleoDiet.com

timesunion.com/HealthyLife

cookbook

Opposite

Days sometimes you just want breakfast for dinner

by janet reynolds | photos courtesy quirk publishing

remember vividly the envy I felt when my best friend told me she had served her family cereal for dinner. The idea that I could just put out some bowls and let people pour their own dinner seemed like a dream come true at the end of a long work day. I also remember the joy with which my children responded when I told them one weekend when their father was away that everyone could stay in their pajamas as long as they wanted (which turned out to be the entire weekend), everyone could pick a rental video and we could watch them during the day(!), and pancakes were on the menu for dinner. (We also ate all our food as a picnic on the family room floor, and I’m pretty sure I served dessert first. It was a truly decadent time.)

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The point is that mealtime mixing it up is one of life’s great pleasures, especially if the mix includes swapping dinner for breakfast. Somehow eggs seem so much more exotic when they’re being served up after the sun is down. Love & Olive Oil blogger Lindsay Landis decided to make it easier to decide how to serve some of your favorite breakfast items for dinner in her new cookbook, Breakfast for Dinner. The book is chock-a-block with variations on triedand-true breakfast items served with a twist to make them perfect for dinner (or lunch for that matter, but that’s a different story). Landis, who blogs with and co-wrote the book with her husband, Taylor Hackbarth, has loved serving breakfast after noon for years. “There are so many great ingredients

{ Breakfast for Dinner, Recipes for Frittata Florentine, Huevos Rancheros, Sunny-Side-Up Burgers, and More!, by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth, Quirk Publishing, 160 pages, $19.95

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and flavors for breakfast,” she says, “but who has time to cook in the morning? Reinterpreting dinner when you can appreciate that is some of the appeal [of breakfast for dinner]. It’s like you’re getting away with something. You’re a grownup now and you can do what you want.” While most of us think eggs — and not much further — when contemplating serving breakfast in the evening, Landis and Hackbarth go far beyond that serviceable item. “We really tried to take typical breakfast dishes and make them more unique,” she says. “This is not a breakfast cookbook; it’s definitely a breakfast-for-dinner cookbook.” Their version of eggs benedict, for instance, is more savory and filling because it includes steak and vinegar. When contemplating how to add grapefruit to the recipe mix, they created a unique risotto that features this classic breakfast fruit.

either Landis nor Hackbarth are trained chefs — they run a design business and a pet-accessories business when they’re not cooking together. Cooking is a way for them to come together at the end of the day. And experimenting is the way they come up with their creative recipes. “We try our recipes on anyone willing to try them,” Landis says. “We have very happy neighbors.” Both did a lot of cooking with their families as children and began cooking together when they were in college. While they share kitchen duties, they divvy up certain cooking chores based on their respective interests. Landis is the sweets person, she says, while Hackbarth is the savory guy. “If we were put on a desert island, I would go for chocolate chip cookies and he’d go for a pastrami sandwich or something.” With different taste buds, it might seem agreeing on a recipe would be tough. Not the case, says Landis. “Most of the time we agree on the final recipe. We definitely have different tastes. I’m not a big ham sausage kind of person but Taylor really likes that,” she says, “so in some recipes with that I defer to him if it’s a good addition or not.” HL recipes continued on page 38 

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cookbook

continued from page 37

Savory Lentil & Carrot Stuffed Crepes makes 12 crepes (4 servings) ingredients For Lentils 1/2 cup French green lentils*, rinsed 1 bay leaf 1/4 onion 1 teaspoon lemon juice 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Salt and black pepper, to taste For Honeyed Carrots 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound carrots, peeled, halved, and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick semicircles 1/2 onion, chopped 3 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons lemon juice Salt and black pepper 12 whole wheat crepes (use your favorite recipe or the one on page 44 in the book) 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts *If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find French green lentils, you can use brown lentils and cook according to package directions. method

For more recipes like Moroccan chicken cinnamon rolls and huevos rancheros tacos visit timesunion.com/healthylife.

healthylife

Place lentils in a saucepan; cover with water by 1 to 2 inches. Add bay leaf and onion and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Take care not to overcook lentils, or they will be mushy. Drain well, discarding bay leaf and onion quarter, and return to saucepan. Toss with lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until onions are soft and translucent. Add honey, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water and cook until liquid has evaporated and carrots are tender, 20 to 22 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 tablespoon of ricotta cheese down the center of each crepe. Top with a spoonful of lentil mixture, followed by carrots. Top with chopped parsley and hazelnuts. Roll up and serve warm.

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owner’s manual

Your kidneys — a primer compiled by linda tuccio-koonz

ost of us have two kidneys, each about the size of a fist and shaped like a bean. They’re found to the left and right of the kidneys backbone, at the lowest level of the rib cage, and they work independently to remove waste products and excess fluid from your body. If you donate a kidney or lose one through disease or accident, your remaining kidney will increase in size to compensate for the loss.

Photo: tomproutGettyImages Illustration: DEA PICTURE LIBRARY/GettyImages.



After filtering impurities and excess salts from the blood, your kidneys return about 200 quarts of fluid to the bloodstream every 24 hours, only 2 of which are processed as urine and removed.



If the kidneys’ ability to filter blood is damaged, dangerous waste and excess fluid can build up in your body.

The kidney is the most common organ given by a living donor.



Warning signs of kidney disease include high blood pressure, blood and/or protein in the urine, more frequent urination (particularly at night), difficult or painful urination, puffiness around the eyes and swelling of hands and feet.



Kidney stones — often caused by urinary tract infections or too much calcium absorbed from foods — are a common kidney issue

and can cause severe pain when they pass from the body.



Using a large number of overthe-counter analgesics (pain and fever reducers) can be harmful if taken for extended periods or in large doses. Street drugs such as heroin and crack also can damage the kidneys.



Kidney dialysis, where the blood is cleansed of toxins through an outside machine, can be done in a hospital setting or at home.



Kidney transplants have high success rates. The kidney can be from someone who died or from a healthy living donor who may be a relative, friend or stranger. The donor and recipient must have compatible blood types and certain tissue similarities.



To keep your kidneys healthy: keep blood pressure/cholesterol levels in check; watch salt and alcohol intake; eat a balanced diet; exercise; maintain a healthy weight; don’t smoke. HL

For additional information on the kidneys go to timesunion.com/healthylife

timesunion.com/HealthyLife

skin care

 DRY

The

Zone

dehydrated skin can be uncomfortable and unsightly, but it can be fixed by wendy healy

arolyn Schaeffer of Castleton-on-Hudson had oily skin until she turned 50; then the game totally changed. Her skin became dry. After battling oil for years, she suddenly found herself in the drug store looking for products without drying ingredients, such as an alcoholfree toner and a more emollient cream. She also switched from using soap to a mild cream cleanser in the Basis-brand line. Like most woman as they age, Schaeffer experienced dry skin because of a slow-down in the skin’s oil production, especially at the change of seasons. She became more fastidious about her skincare regimen and switched products. “What I like now is the less expensive, simpler approach,” she says. “I’ve spent a lot of money in the past and I get the same results. I no longer like to spend a lot of money.” Albany dermatologist Dr. Joseph Baler agrees with Schaeffer that it’s not necessary to spend a lot of money on products. “Spend no more than $10. I’m not finicky about which one to use,” he says. “I usually recommend a product without fragrance, since they can be irritating.”

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Baler says that this time of year can be especially dehydrating for the skin. After spending months indoors under dry conditions with heat and low humidity in the winter, women often find themselves dehydrated in the spring. His solution? Moisturize every day with a cream or lotion, depending on how dry you are. The best time to slather up, he says, is right after a shower when the skin is still wet to lock in the moisture from the water. He likes the more bland basic brands, such as Eucerin, Aveeno, Neutrogena, Cetaphil and a new line called CeraVe. And he recommends choosing a fragrance-free product because fragrances can irritate sensitive skin. “If it smells nice, don’t use it,” he says. Nicole Gallerie, a licensed aesthetician at the Aesthetic Science Institute in Latham, says many women mistake dehydrated skin for dry skin. Any skin type can be dehydrated, which means it is suffering from a lack of moisture. “There is absolutely a difference between dry and dehydrated,” she says. “Dry skin means you’re lacking oil production; dehydrated means you’re lacking water.”



Any skin type can become dehydrated, she says, adding weather, exposure to indoor heat and not moisturizing or taking care of your skin are all causes. Dry skin, as defined by the American Academy of Dermatology, is rough, scaly or flaky, itches and is gray or ashy skin for those with darker skin tones, has cracks, which can bleed if severe, and chapped lips. Dehydrated skin usually feels tight and looks fine-lined and puckered. But the good news, she adds, is that any skin type or condition can be changed by using the right products. Gallerie recommends changing to a lighter moisturizer for the spring and summer months, when there is more humidity and natural moisture in the air. But air conditioning can be drying, too, she cautions. Lighter moisturizers will be water-based, and heavier creams will be petroleum based. Lotions are, in general, thinner than creams. “Be on a lotion and not a cream during the summer,” she says. Gallerie also recommends using a sun-protection cream, with an SPF of at least 15, all year that is separate from your moisturizer. Look for products that include water as the first ingredient and, for those with dry skin, an oil in the top few ingredients. Some brands are more natural than others and include wheat germ, oat kernel and hazelnut oil, while less expensive brands will contain mineral oil. As long as a cream has both oil and water, it will be hydrating.



A quick survey of some of the more popular moisturizing drugstore brands found water as the first ingredient in all. Other good ingredients include aloe vera, lanolin, cocoa butter, glycerin, Echinacea, petroleum, shea butter and panthenol. Farther down on most ingredient lists were preservatives and additives such as alcohol and urea. Good ingredients to look for in an SPF cream are octinoxate, octocrylene, avobenzone or titanium dioxide, according to Gallerie. Parabens, the preservatives found in many skin-care products, she says, aren’t necessarily as harmful as many women might think — and try to avoid. Women who take diuretics also can suffer more from dehydration, and should increase their water intake, as well as eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, says Gallerie. Since dehydrated skin lacks water, she definitely recommends drinking eight glasses a day. HL

 Skin that is properly hydrated is

Photo: © Yuri Arcurs/Dreamstime.com.

plumped up, has fewer lines and wrinkles, and looks better overall.

Brands like Cetaphil and Eucerin contain ceramides that help the skin retain moisture and they won’t break the bank.

timesunion.com/HealthyLife

hair solutions

Hair Care 8 shampooing mistakes youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re likely making by brianna snyder

healthylife

Photos: GettyImages. Woman shampoo back, Shioguchi; Woman shampoo profile, Rich Legg.

t’s not as if any of us really got a lesson in washing our hair, did we? I can’t remember my mother sitting me down and saying, “Listen, you have to make sure your hair is completely wet before you wash it.” Nobody in high school ever pulled me aside to say, “Hey, watch out for chemical sulfates.” At some point we start washing our hair and basically are just glad not to get soap in our eyes. Turns out, we missed some points. We asked area experts what mistakes most people make when shampooing (and conditioning!).

shampoo-and-conditioner-in-one  That deal is hooey “There is no such thing as shampoo and conditioner in one,” says Marri Aviza, owner of Rumors Salon and Spa in Latham. “That is the biggest lie. You can’t cleanse and moisturize at the same time.”

 Avoid shampoos with chemical sulfates

Sulfates are what make your shampoo lather; they’re the parts of shampoo that actually clean your hair. “Some shampoos that contain sulfates can irritate the scalp,” says Barbara Bittner, stylist at Kimberley’s A Day Spa in Latham. “Sulfate-free shampoo or shampoo with natural sulfates is the best.” Read your bottles. Some sulfates can be derived from coconut oil. Steer more toward those natural shampoos or shampoos with no sulfates at all, such as WEN haircleaning products.

 Focus on the scalp

“Make sure to lather the scalp rather than cause too much friction on the ends,” Bittner says. Oils build up mostly in the scalp, and your hair becomes more fragile at the ends and easier to break.

 Know your hair type

If your hair is often greasy or oily at the end of the day, you likely have oily hair, Bittner says. If your hair is brittle, frizzy or dull, it’s likely dry. Make sure you buy the right product for your hair type. If you’ve color-treated your hair (which leads to dryness, too, by the way), buy products for colortreated hair.

 Use the right amount

You don’t want a handful of shampoo spilling onto the floor of the tub. Aviza recommends less than a half-dollar-size dollop of shampoo and rubbing it into your hand. This helps ensure you don’t glob it all onto one part of your head. Distribute beginning at the top and work gently down from there.

 Be patient!

Shampoo and conditioner both need to be in the hair for 1 to 3 minutes, Aviza says. “If you don’t leave the shampoo and conditioner in for 1 to 3 minutes, it doesn’t get a chance to do what it’s supposed to do,” she says. “You’re basically washing it down the drain.” HL

 Alternate shampoos and conditioners

The oils in your hair adapt to what shampoo you’re putting in it. So switch off every few weeks to reinvigorate your tresses. “I like to recommend to clients changing [brands] after the shampoo is finished,” Aviza says. “Or work with two shampoos at all times. For a week use a THE FIVE R’S moisturizing shampoo; then switch to a volumizing shampoo.” OF HAIR-WASHING:

your hair totally wet  Get before you wash it

“Make sure your hair is thoroughly saturated before you shampoo,” Bittner says. This helps with even soap distribution and lets your products work at their top capacity. “It doesn’t mean you’re standing in the shower for 20 minutes longer,” Aviza says. “We’re just asking to thoroughly wet the hair.”

Right product Right amount Right place Right way Right price —Marri Aviza

love connection

Love Hurts the physiology of heartbreak by elizabeth keyser

e told me it was over at lunch. We were sitting on the grass in the park, eating sandwiches. Thirty years later I don’t remember his words, but I’ll never forget the pain. Heart pounding, stomach clenched, nerves a jangle, vision blurry with tears, I made my way back through the crowded sidewalks. I rode up the elevator to my office on the 25th floor. “I’m sick,” I said, “I have to go home now.” The emotions of that breakup stayed with me for a long time. I felt cast out of a life of possibilities and alone in a cold, dead world. Nothing could make me feel happy again. I couldn’t sleep or eat. I fell into a depression. Thirty years later (and happily married for 15 of them), when I think about that rejection, my heart still tightens, temples constrict, eyes mist. Most of us have been through it, the broken state that is the very opposite of the dream of love. But heartbreak isn’t just a torment of the mind. It physically hurts and can even kill, say doctors. “People who go through a bad breakup experience real pain,” says Dr. Robin Tassinari, a professor of psychiatry and internal medicine at Albany Medical College.

healthylife

The experience can be so intense and traumatic that it can affect brain plasticity, doctors say. Heartbreak can reinforce every bad thing we think about ourselves and our place in the world. And whenever we think about the breakup, we rehash those thoughts. By definition, the heartbroken person is the one who didn’t want and wasn’t prepared for the breakup. The one who didn’t have a choice. Sarah La Saulle, a marriage and family therapist, who co- wrote Healing a Broken Heart: A Guided Journal Through Four Seasons of Relationship Recovery, says that people who have had losses or trauma earlier in life will have a harder time recovering from heartbreak. “Their nervous system remembers,” she says. “It gets very activated, overwhelmed.” When I got dumped, my body went into a stress reaction. “There’s an immediate adrenal stress response,” says Dr.

♥

Doctors have discovered a new disease some call broken-heart syndrome.

Photo: Hearts, PhotoAlto/Ale Ventura/GettyImages; Sad woman, Jamie Grill/GettyImages.

Ronald Stram, founder of the Stram Center for Integrative Medicine in Albany. The adrenal gland releases adrenaline. “Your cortisol levels goes up. Your gut shuts down, your heart rate goes up, blood pressure rises,” he says. Cultures the world over use words such as pain and hurt to express both physical pain and social rejection, notes a recent study that showed that the brain associates physical and emotional pain. The same parts of the brain (the secondary somatosensory cortex and the dorsal posterior insula) lit up when a hot probe was placed on subjects’ forearms as when they looked at a photo of and thought about a person who broke up with them and by whom they felt intensely rejected. The March 2011 report by Ethan Koss, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, found “a neural overlap between physical pain and the emotional pain of intense social rejection.” “The remarkable part is that sometimes the brain doesn’t know if it’s physical or emotional pain,” says Tassinari. “It’s the same neural pathway up the spine. The same circuits are involved.” In fact, Tylenol or acetaminophen can provide a temporary relief from heartache. “It fools the brain,” he says.

aline, what doctors call catecholamines. They cause blood vessels to restrict. People suffering from takotsubo disease have two to three times higher catecholamine levels than those having a real major heart attack. Heartbreak doesn’t send most people to the hospital. Yet recovery can be a slow process. “Allow yourself to grieve and try not just to suck it up,” says Stram. We often take comfort in friends and family, but they can grow impatient. “After a while, people don’t want to hear it,” says La Saulle, “They say, ‘It’s been 3 months, oh, get over it.’” Healing a Broken Heart is designed to “help comfort people, to ease the suffering” by helping them process the loss, she says. “The reason Sharon Kagan and I wrote it like a journal is that people get into an obsessive state and can get into a repetitive way of thinking. This is a way to process it without going into those patterns.” Biofeedback can help us see the connection between our hearts and minds. And therapy can help us replace the unhealthy thoughts with healthy ones. But the largest challenge is that the brokenhearted continue to perceive things that cause stress as life-threatening. When that happens we need to stop and ask ourselves where those feelings are coming from. What is actually happening? Usually, the stressor is not life-threatening. It’s not easy to change, but with help, we can learn over time. We have to. A broken heart is life-threatening. Says La Saulle, “You can get over it.” HL

ying of a broken heart isn’t just an old wives’ tale. Doctors have discovered a new disease some call brokenheart syndrome. It seems just like a heart attack, with chest pain and shortness of breath that sends people to the hospital. The heart muscle is weakened and the sufferer (90 percent of whom are women) can become so ill they almost die. But the overwhelming majority fully recover, within a month or two. Broken-heart syndrome, called “takotsubo” by many doctors, is named after the flared flasks used by the Japanese, who first identiDr. Ronald Stram, founder of the Stram Center for Integrative fied the disease in 1990, to trap octopus. It difMedicine in Albany, offers these suggestions for finding relief fers from a heart attack in that the arteries are from the pain of heartbreak. not blocked and a different part of the heart is damaged — the mid-portion and corner of the ♥ Meditation can help, but it can ♥ Drink calming teas, like heart, which balloons into a shape of takotsubo. be tough if you’re too upset. chamomile or kava. “It’s fairly rare,” says Tassinari. Takotsubo dis♥ 4-7-8 breathing can slow the ♥ Avoid carbohydrates ease represents just one to two percent of casheart rate and bring down blood and eat more protein. es of what appear to be typical heart attacks. pressure. Breathe in through It wasn’t until around 1995 that doctors in the ♥ Get a massage. Craniosacral the nose through four, hold to a United States started to recognize and label it. massage is remarkably count of 7, exhale slowly through gentle and helps with Takotsubo is similar to stress-induced cardioeight counts. Do it 4 times. (It cerebrospinal flow. myopathy, which is caused by major stress such will take about five minutes.) as the death of a loved one, financial problems, ♥ Try acupuncture — it can make ♥ Avoid alcohol. It’s a sedative a car accident or major illness. How does stress you feel like you took a vacation. and a depressant and won’t help. lead to heart-attack-like conditions? Doctors don’t know for sure, but studies point to adren-

Soothing a Broken Heart

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Ask Emma 51 My sister, my frenemy 52 Learning to delegate 55 timesunion.com/HealthyLife

HealthyLife magazine brings you stories and advice geared at living a balanced life, and nourishment of your mind, body, and spirit. Life@Home is packed with inspiration to help you make your house a home. Capital Region Women@Work is the in-print component of an innovative network of local women in managerial and executive positions. VOW: Your Wedding. Your Way. is the secret to creating your fairytale wedding using local resources. If you are interested in receiving free home delivery of any of our magazines, please (518) 454-5768 or email magcirculation@timesunion.com.

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ask emma

Put Your Shoes On! advice from the 8th century on how to avoid suffering by emma tennant

am not making this up. I was in Whole Foods to buy a salad and to sit down and do some reading in preparation for this column. I brought my salad to the checkout line. About five people were ahead of me. No other cashiers in sight. The woman at the front of the line had two kids, packets of flower seeds, groceries, macaroni, bags of whole grains that needed to be weighed, and was trying to hang on to her kids and fish out her wallet with one hand, while holding her own takeout salad in the other. Meanwhile, the two girls in front of me cackled like crows about their weekend. Something about “Darren.” They were driving me nuts. Time passed. My salad got heavy. My head started swiveling around: “My God, they have one cashier?,” I thought. “Where is everyone? Who runs a business this way? Can’t they have an express lane like everybody else?” I fantasized about putting my salad on the counter and leaving. To be honest, I even had a fantasy of dropping it on the ground. “Oh, excuse me, how clumsy,” I’d say, make my apologies and walk out. Then a cashier about six aisles away caught my eye. She was waving at me from quite a distance. With enormous relief I walked and put my salad in front of her. “I could see you looking around,” she said. “Thank you,” I gushed, “I was about to lose it.” “Why?” I didn’t really want to have the conversation but, you know, I was in it now: “Oh,” I said, “the line wasn’t moving very fast. It was nobody’s fault.” “Maybe it was your fault,” she said. “You got impatient.” And there was my lesson for the day, for in fact she was absolutely right. The feeling I was having, the irritation with everyone in front of me, the almost panicked feeling of time being wasted, was entirely my fault. These feelings rose in me of their own accord. I was making myself miserable. I guess I’m very acutely aware these days of an unassailable truth — we are the source and origin of our suffering. For instance, my patient Sheila begins every session by telling me how “unfair” everything is. Her coworkers keep asking her why she doesn’t have a boyfriend, which is “unfair.” Her ex-boyfriend has married and is organic farming in Arkansas. This is also “unfair.” There is no mistaking that underlying her experience of the unfairness of things is the expectation that things should be otherwise — life is hard, that is true, but Sheila thinks it should not be hard.

e are all like this, and life continues to present us with hardness. Please fill out this form. Here is your electric bill. We are cutting your health care benefit. You need new glasses. Your car will not start. The basement has mold. Your son appears to have ADHD, or, at least, we wish he would behave and we secretly believe that if you were a better mother, he would. They add up, these demands, and they never end. I find myself at times looking — as we all do — at photographs of movie stars walking up the stairs of a private plane and thinking, “Why them and not me?” But here’s the thing. Yes, at one given moment or another we may be more overwhelmed by the hardness of life than, say, Anne Hathaway — for whom things seem to be going pretty swimmingly. But the truth is that we are all caught in this web of unmet expectations, disappointments, unexpected tragedies, and the inevitability of old age. So is Anne Hathaway. So what do we do? The answer can be found in the writings of Shantideva, an 8th-century Indian Buddhist monk and scholar, and his long poem, traditionally translated in English as “The Way of the Bodhisattva.” In one verse, he writes: To cover all the earth with sheets of hide — Where could such amounts of skin be found? But simply wrap some leather around your feet, And it’s as if the whole earth had been covered. In other words: Put on your shoes. We can’t make the world a place of perfection. It will always be stony, cold, hot, uneven and unfair. There is no way to cover the world in hide so that we don’t hurt our feet. We keep trying to solve our problems this way. Bigger houses. More money. Better clothes, and so on. But it is an impossible task. The solution is simple — we have to tame our mind. We have to learn patience. We have to discipline our expectations of perfection. The solution lies with us. All of this is easier said than done. One way to begin to work with our mind and to increase our patience is to spend some time just breathing, just relaxing, staying in the present. If you want a basic direction in breath meditation, here is a simple one: accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/breathmed.html. HL Emma Tennant (not her real name) is a practicing psychotherapist. All advice offered here is simply that. If you have a pressing concern, you should see a specialist in person. If you have a question you’d like addressed or a comment for Emma, send it to askemma@timesunion. com. Inquiries will be treated with confidentiality.

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family

Sister

My , My Frenemy from sibling rivals to lasting friends, sisters share a special kinship by laurie lynn fischer

healthylife

y sister mailed me a gift. I don’t recall what it was, but I do remember the packing peanuts’ supercharged static cling. When I sent her birthday package, guess what I used as padding? With sisters, you’ve got to take the good with the bad. As girls, my sister and I squabbled over everything from shoes to who rode shotgun. As

adults, we’ve faced remarkably similar challenges with marriage, parenting, even biology. She understands like nobody else our family’s foibles and the cultural milieu that surrounded our coming of age. For all its idiosyncrasies, our relationship isn’t unique. Crystal Beauchemin of Brunswick and her sister Nikki, who lives in Clifton Park, used to be at each other’s throats.

Photos: Adult sisters, Ghislain & Marie David de Lossy/GettyImages; Young sisters, Simon Kirwan/GettyImages.

“We fought over everything, including which of our divorced parents was better,” says Beauchemin. “When I got engaged two and a half years ago, I considered not even having my sisters in my wedding because we’d never been close. Now I’m happy I did. In June, I’ll be in Nikki’s wedding, too. Now we’re best friends. I see her more than my husband! We work together, travel together and go to concerts together. It’s amazing what a transformation we’ve made. Now, everyone says we’re so much alike!” Growing up, Denise Maurer of Troy avoided her sister Darlene Greenhouse of Coxsackie. “We didn’t speak to each other,” recalls Maurer, who is 19 months younger. “I didn’t like her circle of friends and she didn’t like mine. I was the dancer and the social one; she was the serious one. Miraculously, when we turned 18, we became very close. We get together very often. We’re always doing something. We’ve sent the same card to each other, not realizing.” Despite the huge variation between individuals, across cultures and through time, psychologists draw generalizations about sisterhood in our society, says Professor Kathleen Crowley, who teaches psychology at The College of St. Rose. “There are some sisters who are very, very close to each other and spend a lot of time and shared experiences together from childhood and especially become closer in adulthood and throughout their lives,” Crowley says. “Then, there are sisters who do not get along at all.”

enerally speaking, siblings born about two years apart tend to have the highest conflict levels, especially in early childhood, she says. “Most people — if you ask them about planning their children — will tell you that the spacing is about two to three years apart,” she says. “It’s traditional in our society to do that. Two-year-olds are old enough to feel that they’re being dethroned by the new baby. They’re losing their one and only place. They don’t have a lot of social or verbal skills for dealing with that. They tend to act out. That competition is going to last through adolescence. If they do have a competitive relationship, they’ll fight over toys, over clothes, over who gets to use the TV remote control or who gets to wear makeup and who doesn’t. It may look like it’s over issues. Most sibling rivalry is about power. The purpose isn’t about necessarily being the one who gets to sit by the window in the car. It’s about getting your way.” When children are born five to eight years apart, the older sibling usually has better coping skills, says Crowley. Chil-

dren born only a year apart also tend to be closer, she says. “They don’t remember being the solo status child,” she says. Often you’ll hear about how they act like twins. They were called Irish twins in my neighborhood.” Even sisters who battle can form alliances, usually to circumvent parental rules or protect one of them, Crowley says. In our culture, clashes between sisters differ from clashes between brothers, she says.

Sister pet peeves We asked, you answered  It feels like I’ll never measure up to her, no matter what.

 It’s my thing, but she’s better at it.

 Little respect she had for my privacy.

 She won’t help out at family food events; then she makes fun of me for acting stressed.

 She’d torment me until I’d resort to violence, then smirk when I was punished.

 She’s always been jealous of me.

 They leave me out.

 She reinvents our history to make herself look good.

“Girls are more likely to have conflict over clothing than boys are,” Crowley says. “Boys are going to be more likely to be physically aggressive than girls. Girls are more likely to punish friends or sisters using what we would call cattiness — social punishment — name-calling, ostracizing from a social group or event, embarrassing them in public or posting something on a social network site like Facebook.” Debra Tannen writes about sisters trying to distinguish themselves in order to diminish competition between them, says Crowley. “She provides a lot of interesting case studies,” says Crowley. “They seek ways to be different from each other and they want to be different from each other. You’ll see the younger child wants to be like the older child. Even though they fight, there’s a hero-worship thing going on. The older child represents to the younger child ‘Wow, she’s older! Cool! Look what she gets to do!’ The younger child will want to copy that until at least they get into high school. When there is conflict, it usually is because there is too much overlap.” HL

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coping strategies

OVerwhElmed?

ExhauS ted?

FRustraTed? learning to delegate could change all that

by jennifer parris

elegating tasks is something that Lisa Matthews has always found difficult. As a former hiring manager in Albany, Matthews felt uncomfortable assigning tasks to her colleagues. Says Matthews: “More often than not, I would just do the work myself, because I didn’t want to ask for help.” Not surprisingly, many women struggle to adequately delegate, both at work and at home. In a recent study from the Families and Work Institute, a leading national nonprofit research organization, many women feel that when it comes to getting things done, whether at the office or at home, it’s best if they do it themselves. Why? “Just like networking, delegating is a learned skill,” says Tom Denham, Ph.D., a career counselor and motivational speaker with Careers In Transition in Albany. “And frankly, sometimes it’s faster and easier to just do the task yourself.” But doing something to save you time in the short run will not help you in the long-term. And the pitfalls of this DIY philosophy translates into the workplace as well. “Delegating is a control issue,” says Amanda Cowan, a workplace expert in Colonie. “If you task a colleague with something important and they do a better job than you, you might regret having given that job to them.” But with ever-increasing workloads, women can’t afford not to delegate. “If you try to do it all, something will suffer,” says Denham. “It will be the quality of your work, your career, your family life, or your health.” Delegating is a delicate dance, and like almost everything else in the workplace — or home — is a skill that must be learned. Once you decide on the project (or a part of it) that needs to be delegated, assess your team (or family members) to match up the work with the person who can best complete it. Give specific instructions on how you

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Photos: Getty Images. woman, RubberBall Productions; Family, Comstock Images.

would like the task completed, and then do the hardest part — walk away. After all, if you micromanage, you’ve defeated the purpose of delegating, which is to free up your time for tasks that can only be done by you. But what happens if after finally handing over the reins, the results are not what you expected? “Part of delegating means accepting that the results may not be what you envisioned,” says Cowan. Maybe the report’s wording was not how you would have phrased it or the PowerPoint presentation lacked a little finesse — or in the case of home, that cleaning job lacked a little elbow grease. Stop and ask yourself if the outcome is good enough — this will require you to be as objective as possible. After all, each person brings something unique to the table, so be sure to embrace their style without rejecting it outright. In fact, their fresh input might even inspire you to tackle projects in a new light in the future. However, if the results are unacceptable (or worse, wrong), set up a meeting with your colleague (or sit down and talk to your family member). Point out the areas that need improvement, and offer tips on how the assignment can be completed more efficiently. And tweak your own delegating style, assessing which parts of the project need a little more input from you and where you can let your designee work more independently. But don’t be discouraged if your first attempts at delegating don’t go smoothly. In time, you’ll develop the delegating skill set necessary to work at your optimal office best. WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR DELEGATION SKILLS? Here are a few behaviors you need to learn:  Evaluate tasks. Take a look at the project at hand and assess what needs to be done, soup to nuts. Make sure you are specific in your request and that your expectations are crystal clear, suggests Denham. That way, there is no miscommunication between you and the person you’re delegating to.  Find a good fit. Not all tasks can be done well by all people, including you. So keep in mind the strengths and weaknesses of the people you’re working with, and assign accordingly. If something requires strict attention to detail, task it to the detail-oriented person. That way, the people feel that their own strengths are being recognized — and utilized.  Get mentoring. Since delegating is a learned skill, take the time to find someone to show you how to do it, advises Cowan. “Look for someone whose opinion you trust and whose management style you admire,” she says. Learn the way they communicate and how they manage their workloads to get a sense of what delegating truly encompasses. After all, delegating is not dumping.

Why Delegating Is Good For You It lessens your stress Every item you add to your neverending to-do list is an added stress. And by not delegating, you might start feeling overwhelmed and unhappy. In turn, your health — and your job performance — can start to suffer. Delegating routine work will not only relieve some of your stress but it will give you more time to do your job — and relax. It increases your value Instead of being burdened with mundane tasks that others can perform, you can actually boost your own potential by delegating. Having extra time will allow you to look for more challenging tasks that can increase your skill sets or give you the opportunity to look for new opportunities for your team. It builds your managerial skills Entrusting a teammate with a task means that you trust that she can complete it. So instead of being responsible for your own work, you boost your own managerial skills by being accountable for their work as well as your own. It strengthens your team Allowing members of your team (or your family) to showcase their skills, you’re giving them an opportunity to develop themselves even further. It not only inspires loyalty, but it makes everyone feel valued.

 Give thanks. Once the tasks are completed, be sure to spotlight those who contributed to the cause. For example, take a few minutes out of the weekly meeting to thank everyone for a job well done, or take your child out for a special treat as a reward for making her bed for an entire week. Encouraging women to delegate tasks to their colleagues as well as their family members — and to be content with the results — can help strengthen those relationships in the future. Says Denham: “Women need to be encouraged to have faith that they are doing the absolute best that they can. Delegating isn’t an option; it’s a necessity for women to have less stressful and happier lives.” HL Read our first-person account on delegating on page 59.

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! d e v l o v n i t Ge Do you want to get involved with a nonproﬁt but aren’t sure where to start? Our next Women@Work Connect is the perfect place to meet some local charities and network with Capital Region professional women.

Meet these area nonproﬁts and learn how you can volunteer, mentor or be a board member: BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS OF THE CAPITAL REGION DOUBLE H RANCH HOMELESS AND TRAVELERS AID SOCIETY (HATAS) HUDSON MOHAWK HUMANE SOCIETY MAKE A WISH RED CROSS OF NENY AND MORE! To be a featured nonproﬁt at this event, call Charmaine Ushkow at 518-454-5792 for information.

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Capital Region Women@Work is a bimonthly magazine designed to help women navigate the world of work. Women@Work Connect events are held regularly at various locations in the Capital Region.

Behind the Scenes: Hair and makeup by Kimberley’s A Day Spa, Latham. Photo taken by Suzanne Kawola at the New York State Museum. The New York State Museum serves the lifelong educational needs of New Yorkers and visitors through its focus on the state’s natural and cultural diversity, past and present. At right: Blouse and skirt by Premise, necklace and bracelet by Kenneth Cole. Select clothing available at Boscov’s Clifton Park. Visit facebook.com/ healthylifenymagazine to view our Behind the Scenes photo gallery, or scan the QR code at right to link to our HealthyLife photos page on Facebook.

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My Word 59 Margaret Roach’s Backyard Parables 63 Are your jeans the right fit? 66 Cover-model Q&A 70 timesunion.com/HealthyLife

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my word

The ‘Good’ Mother by rebecca haynes

Photo: Erik Dreyer/GettyImages.

thought I was being a good mom. Aspiring to “take care” of my family I did my best to attend to their physical needs. I planned meals and did the grocery shopping, put home-cooked dinners on the table more days than not, and kept the house clean (OK, relatively!). And until the kids got a little older, I did all of the laundry for a family of five. Then, of course, came the smaller, myriad tasks moms do every day — all in addition to my paying job. Wow. Was I trying to be a martyr? (I’ll unequivocally deny it, if pressed.) After all, “I’m just a soul whose intentions are good,” as the song goes, but “oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood.” I like to think that I was just a very misguided June Cleaver wannabe (and clearly stuck in a ‘50s/’60s pop culture time warp). But now that the kids are grown I’ve begun to look at it a bit differently — and come to a disturbing realization: I was a terrible delegator! What a revelation, you say. Was I that blind? Wanting to be a good mom may be an admirable goal, but my definition of “good” was not. Not only did my attempts to do it all keep me oft-stressed, but I fear it did a disservice to the kids. I worry “doing it all” denied them the opportunity to master certain essential household chores that could make their adult lives a bit more difficult at first. I also worry I wasn’t a proper role model: I don’t want them to go into relationships thinking the mom is supposed to do it all. Seriously, what was I thinking? Why wasn’t my first response to delegate? Hmmm…. I’m thinking the answer to that question would probably take years of therapy to uncover. My poor delegation skills are surely an annoyance for my husband, who, as a project manager, delegates all day

long. And believe me, those skills don’t shut down when he’s home. He can always come up with a project to delegate to somebody. So why has this talent eluded me, even when I recognized it was an issue I needed to correct? Sure, the kids did chores. They know how to clean up after dinner and how to clean the various rooms of the house — including their own, although they often had to be threatened before they did it. They’ve all scrubbed toilets and showers and bathtubs, dusted furniture, and mopped and swept floors. They just didn’t have to do it with regimented regularity. Laundry delegation I could handle (go figure!). Each of the kids began doing their own wash in their early teens. And I tried to delegate dinnerplanning and cooking, but ran out of steam when it became a source of constant pestering to make it happen. Yes, my kids definitely know how to play me! Now, at 25, 22 and 18, I’m trying to assess whether my inadequate delegation skills have done any lasting damage. So I start with the boys, both of whom have successfully grocery shopped, cooked and fed themselves while living in their own apartments. And with the exception of one year and one choice of two particularly slovenly roommates, even managed to keep said apartments relatively clean. One recent evening I wasn’t feeling well. After getting home from work and getting all of the main ingredients out for that night’s dinner, I decided I just couldn’t do it. So I called my daughter down from her room and said she was going to have to take over. And you know what happened? A nice, delicious dinner appeared on the table. Maybe I wasn’t such a bad mother after all. HL

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How Science Helps Back Pain The lower back is a series of bones separated by shock absorbers called “discs”. When these discs go bad because of age or injury you can have pain. For some the pain is just annoying, but for others it can be life changing...and not in a good way. It has long been thought that if these discs could be helped in a natural and noninvasive way, lots of people with back and leg pain could lower the amount of pain medication they take, be given fewer epidural injections for the pain and have less surgery.

Recent medical breakthroughs have led to the development of advanced technologies to help back and leg pain suffers!

Through the work of a specialized team of physicians and medical engineers, a medical manufacturing company, now offers this space age technology in its incredible DRX 9000 Spinal Decompression equipment.

The DRX 9000 is FDA cleared to use with the pain and symptoms associated with herniated and/or bulging discs. . . even after failed surgery. What Conditions Has The DRX 9000 Successfully Treated And Will It Help YOU? The main conditions the DRX 9000 has success with are: • • • •

Back pain Sciatica Spinal Stenosis Herniated and/or bulging discs (single or multiple) • Degenerative disc disease • A relapse or failure following surgery • Facet syndromes A very important note: The DRX 9000 has been successful even when NOTHING else has worked. Even after failed surgery. What Are Treatments On The DRX 9000 Like?

After being ﬁtted with an automatic shoulder support system, you simply lie face up on the DRX 9000’s comfortable bed and the advanced computer system does the rest. Patients describe the treatment as a gentle, soothing, intermittent pulling of your back. Many patients actually fall asleep during treatment. The really good news IS... this is not something you have to continue to do for the rest of your life. So it is not a big commitment. Since offering the DRX 9000 in my Colonie office, I have seen nothing short of miracles for back pain sufferers who had tried everything else. . . with little or no result. Many had lost all hope. Had herniated disk operation 8 years ago another disc became herniated. Doctor wanted to operate have arthritis from 1st one (did not want to go under knife again) very grateful to DRX9000 (thank you Dr. Claude D. Guerra, DC) Very happy camper. Raymond F Niskayuna, NY Age 55 This treatment was a miracle for my cervical disk herniations. Only other alternative was surgery, which I no longer have to face. William I Schenectady, NY Age 63

I was told by a doctor I wouldn’t be able to work. I cannot afford to not work so I tried Dr. Claude D. Guerra, DC, and not only did the pain go away but I never missed a day at work. Rick S Clifton Park, NY Age 42 I would love to shake the hand of the person who invented this machine. It was a life saver for me and a lot better than going under the knife. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone with chronic back pain. Dawn H Colonie, NY Age 49 Before the DRX 9000 treatment. I had no quality of life. Couldn’t do anything for myself. Thank God for Dr. and the DRX machine. I can live again. Yvette K Schenectady, NY Age 47 I suffered for three years, before I received treatment on the DRX 9000. Today, I can sleep and get out of bed like a normal human being. Before, I couldn’t even drive my car because the pain in my hips, legs and feet were so bad from the sciatica nerve being pinched by my Herniated Disc L4 and L5, which also prevented me from sitting in a chair or even using my computer lap top at any time. Today things have changed due to advance technology therapy on the DRX 9000. They always try

A DV E R T I S E M E N T I would deﬁnitely refer people to your office. Dr. Guerra and his staff have made this experience a pleasure. Ed H Hoosick Falls, NY Age 70 Pain free, numbness in the left foot is gone. DRX 9000 is GREAT and does work. Sal L Niskayuna, NY Age 50

Dr. Claude D. Guerra, DC demonstrates the DRX 9000 to a patient

to regulate the treatments that work. What is up with this taught process???? The world is changing and so have I. Frank A Troy, NY Age 52 Before receiving the DRX treatments, my quality of life was very poor. I could hardly do anything other than going to work and going to bed. After the DRX treatments my quality of life has improved 90% which has resulted in me being able to go for long walks without a cane and go shopping. Anne P Burnt Hills, NY Age 70 I am so appreciative of this method of therapy because when I came to the office I had to use a cane and had muscle pain in walking. After 2nd treatment sciatica nerve pain was gone in my left leg. Judith W Albany, NY Age 64 Prior to this treatment my only options appeared to be invasive pain management, or surgery. After receiving 24 sessions on the DRX, I am markedly improved, relatively pain free and am able to function as I had in previous years. Highly recommend to anyone with disc issues. Alan P Scotia, NY Age 53 I would choose this therapy again! Painless treatment that gets your life back to

normal. Stick with it-it works! Linda G Broadalben, NY Age 53 I am so happy I came to Dr. Guerra. I was in a lot of pain and after being on the DRX I tell you I do not have pain. I feel wonderful and the staff are very nice. Dr. Claude D. Guerra, DC is wonderful. If you are in pain try the DRX it really helps. Edith C Schenectady, NY Age 71 I think more people should know about this procedure before considering any surgery. Medications help the pain but they don’t cure the cause. I am back to my old self again. Lorraine B Scotia, NY Age 78 I highly recommend this machine. I had my doubts but it really and truly works. Dr. Claude D. Guerra, DC is a wonderful doctor and his staff is great too. Linda D Clifton Park, NY Age 46 I was extremely skeptical at the beginning of treatments - Progress was slow in coming - But... then it worked! What a relief!!! Joan K Delmar, NY Age 71 I had no where else to go with this problem. The DRX 9000 was just what I needed. Many thanks! Burton S Mechanicville, NY Age 50

I’m able to go on long walks and get all night sleep (I’ve had 3 surgeries since 2006) Without the DRX I would be in for a 4th back surgery. I’m getting back to doing activities with my 10 year old son. Lisa V Catskill, NY Age 45 I wish to thank you very much for all the help I received with the spinal decompression therapy. Your entire office was very helpful and compassionate. No longer do I sit at night with my heating pads, moving them from sore spot to sore spot. My knees are no longer on ﬁre and I’m able to go up and down the stairs much easier than before. Mable D Ballston Lake, NY Age 68

SPECIAL OFFER Call Dr. Claude D. Guerra, DC’s office at 518-300-1212 and mention to my assistants that you want a FREE back pain/DRX9000 qualiﬁcation

consultation. It’s absolutely free with no strings attached. There is nothing to pay for and you will NOT be pressured to become a patient.

Here is what you will receive: • A consultation with me, Dr. Claude D. Guerra, DC to discuss your problem and answer the questions you may have about back pain and the DRX9000 • A DRX9000 demonstration so you see for yourself how it works! Due to current demand for this technology, I suggest calling today to make your appointment. The consultation is free. We are staffed 24-hoursa-day, 7-days-a-week. Call 518-300-1212 right now!

It’s absolutely FREE with no strings attached. There is ONE Big Problem: My busy office schedule will limit how many people I’m able to personally meet with... so you will need to act fast. Call 518-300-1212 right now... to be sure you are among the ﬁrst callers and we will set up your free consultation today. We have the phones answered 7 days a week 24 hours a day so call now... 518-300-1212. (Free consultation is good for 45 days) 2016 Central Ave., Colonie www.albanyDRX.com

nurturing

The Garden

Connection for margaret roach, gardening is life by brianna snyder | photos by margaret roach

or Margaret Roach — and many gardeners — gardening is more than just digging in the dirt. It’s spiritual. And in her latest book, The Backyard Parables: Lessons on Gardening, and Life, Roach explores the profound connection between her garden and her self. Roach has written other books and essays on gardening, and she was the garden editor and an editorial director for Martha Stewart’s magazine for several years before retiring to pursue writing and, of course, gardening. Her website, awaytogarden.com, is popular among gardeners — the New York Times’ garden writer Anne Raver called it the best garden blog on the Web. In Backyard Parables, Roach reflects on life lessons and the relationship she has with the soil, the sun, the air and the plants that grow around her. Nestled in her reflections are sidebars with gardening tips, making the book part-memoir and part-instruction manual. “[Gardening] is such a guide for me and it has been for probably close to 30 years,” Roach says in a recent phone interview from her home. “The teachings of it are about humility, about control and the hubris of control. The cyclical nature of the garden, the miraculousness and the wonder of it, they inform every day for me.” Roach’s first memoir, And I Shall Have Some Peace There: Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road, told the story of her great success in the highly competitive publishing industry, her climb to the top as editorial director for Martha

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Stewart Living Omnimedia, and her decision to give all of that up for her home and her garden. “I can state with conviction — and did, in And I Shall Have Some Peace There — that my garden saved me,” she writes in the introduction to Parables. “It would not be an overstatement to claim that it has all the answers, but most simply put, gardening lifts the spirits.” In Parables, Roach discusses the profound interplay between life and the garden and the way she responds to both. “[M]y gardening rhythms are guided mostly by instinct and how the weather and soil conditions seem to me,” she writes. “I garden the way I cook — by feel, rather than formula, and often to simply sate a hunger.” Roach has been with this particular garden (which she occasionally opens up to the public for special events) for 25 years. She sees her garden as her life partner, an intimate friend, a guardian and a guide. “Even in winter it’s very much a guide,” she says in our interview. “The garden gives you a great lesson: it surges but it also rests, which I think is very good and relates to us directly. In the depth of winter you may think, Hey, you know, I’m feeling a little slower right now and maybe that’s OK. I need to tuck in and restore [just as the garden does]. Maybe I need to be dormant, too. It’s just always with me. The garden and me are really one organism.” She writes that gardening has always been special to her. She takes comfort in her familiarity with what she’s built in her backyard — her triumphs and her mistakes alike remind her of her fallibility. “Only I know why this measly strip of

daffodils is there, all out of proportion and otherwise looking like a mistake. For what it lacks in aesthetic effect, the ill-fitting footprint of my earliest adventures is quite effective as an ongoing reminder that (as they say) you have to start somewhere,” she writes. “The bed also reminds me that in the garden, it is sometimes better to overdo it.”

ith these insights come various tips on gardening, which Roach refers to as her “Margaretisms.” They’re cultivated from her blog, and they’re the advice she consistently gives her readers and other

gardeners she meets at talks and seminars. She says she sought to combine informational and reflectional material in this memoir, creating what she calls “the how-to and the woo-woo.” “[My publishers] said they wanted a garden book but they wanted a memoir, so I started writing it and it felt hollow without the horticultural how-to and what I call ‘woo-woo,’” she says. continued on page 65 

The Backyard Parables: Lessons on Gardening, and Life, by Margaret Roach, Grand Central Publishing, 288 pages, $25.99

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body. mind. spirit.

nurturing

continued from page 63

“There is tangible learning and results but there’s also the spiritual, philosophical harvest. And I felt like I was getting to do the woo-woo part, but I needed the how-to to balance it.” The result is garden anecdotes matched with tips for fencing, underplanting, vegetable growing, pruning and more. For instance, in one how-to section Roach offers this advice about when to give up and go indoors: “Do your ripening indoors whenever animals, or prolonged cold, threaten to get to the crop before you do,” she writes. But: “Some will never ripen, nohow, nowhere, no way: There are always holdouts, those who won’t cooperate,” no matter how much TLC you give them. It’s giving up, Roach says, that separates the good gardeners from the great. Sometimes you have to come to terms with plants that don’t ripen or flourish, accept that they’re not going to make it, and move on. “Really good gardeners understand that you can’t control everything, and they understand when to give up,” she says. “The person this book is dedicated to, he said to me many years ago, ‘Bury your dead and fast.’ … Just let it go. Let it go. And take it off to the compost heap and hide it. Don’t leave this poor pitiful wretch standing there.” Accept that, as in life, some circumstances are beyond your control, and that you will survive the tragedies. “There are times where you can’t fight. What are you going to do if it doesn’t rain for 12 weeks? ... It’s just heartbreaking and then at a certain point you just know that it’s part of the deal,” Roach says. “Great gardeners know when to stop and when to clean up.” HL

MARGARET ROACH’S GARDENING TIPS On dealing with deer: “I turned to scientists and agricultural experts (not gardenproduct marketers), always my preferred first step. To choose a style of fence that will work for your garden locale, you need information about the local deer species, their habits and their capabilities (read: how high they can jump, and how low they will go).”

On planning a vegetable garden: 1. Make a list of what you want more of (or a first crop of, if it’s a warm-season thing or if you simply didn’t plant an earlier crop). 2. Make a list of things that have gone by or will soon go by, to assess real estate that can be utilized. 3. Compare the lists, and start making matchups.

On pruning: “Take out the three Ds anytime they occur. The Ds are dead, damaged and diseased wood —

and why wouldn’t you want to do this? (Some people say there are five Ds: dying and deformed being added to the list, but I’m trying not to get us overwhelmed.)”

On storing herbs for the year: “I harvest in summer and fall and freeze the rest of my year’s supply: some as “pesto” cubes, others in “logs” of leaflets pressure-rolled tightly inside freezer bags. ... When you need some, just slice a disk from one end of the log. ... Almost any green herb will take to being frozen as pesto: garlic scapes, sage, rosemary, chives, cilantro, oregano, marjoram, thyme, chervil.”

On picking flower bulbs: “Because many flower bulbs can be animal bait — an expensive disappointment — I recommend species that are resistant to pests such as deer, rabbits and squirrels. Daffodils, or Narcissus, are poisonous, and therefore seem to have all-round resistance to nibbling or digging by animals.”

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fashion

Pants

Perfect picking the best jeans for your body

Jeans:

you wear them on the weekends or out for drinks with friends. They’re part of your favorite firstdate outfit or, in some cases, your work attire. Heck, denim is now so popular and accepted it’s commonplace at some of the highest-end restaurants in the fashion capital of our country — New York City. When we have the perfect pair, we want to wear them everywhere. They show off our curves and hide our flaws. The problem, as every woman knows, is finding the perfect pair. Especially since nearly every designer now has a denim line. Add to that considerations of cut and cost, and jean shopping can be overwhelming. “They are the foundation that go with everything and go everywhere. We wear jeans more than any other garment,” says Bichi Fasso, assistant store manager at the Boscov’s in Clifton Park. “Knowing you look great in your jeans means you can be confident that you look great at the grocery,

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hanging with your friends and on that date. It’s worth investing time and money in getting that feeling.” More than 90 percent of women own at least one pair, according to Shop Smart, a division of Consumer Reports, and the average woman owns seven pairs. Nearly 25 percent own more than 10, but that doesn’t mean they’re wearing them all. Nope, they rotate just four pairs on a regular basis. And, well, that goes back to what we said about finding that perfect pair and sticking with them. So, just how do you find those jeans that will make you feel great and have others saying you look great? Start with knowing your body type, and working with it, says Alexa Franze, the denim buyer with Circles in Stuyvesant Plaza in Guilderland. A pear-shaped woman can’t wear the same style as a woman with a straight or athletic figure (see illustration). Petite women can get away with styles that tall women can’t make work (such as cropped).

Photo: PhotoAlto/Sigrid Olsson/GettyImages.

by kristi barlette

LOOK GOOD FOR SUMMER FROM HEAD TO TOE Rise is also crucial, and perhaps the biggest concern for shoppers, says Peter Weissmann, owner of Casual Set, also in Stuyvesant Plaza. His customers want their pants to sit at their belly-button, not below, and most certainly not above. This can make shopping tricky, since we’re all built differently. But, he says, one company that has really mastered denim? Not Your Daughter’s Jeans. That line has a little Spandex throughout, as well as a tummy control panel. They cost around $100. While he has heard customers say they wouldn’t spend that much on a pair of jeans, others have said they’d spend twice as much. One customer loved them so much she wore them out of the store. When you shop, start with just a few pairs in the dressing room in different styles. You can get an idea of what works best and go from there, Franze says. Don’t think you have to go at it alone. Sales associates as almost every store — from boutique-size to stores like the Gap to a department store like Boscov’s — can help you find the right fit based on your body type and style preferences. Those associates will also offer opinions, if you ask. Another option is to bring a friend or family member to get the to-the-bone truth only a best friend is brave More than enough to offer. of “Everyone has different shopping women own preferences, but I’d recommend at least one bringing one person whose opinion pair of jeans you value,” says Franze. “Too many can confuse your decision making.” Nearly Don’t hesitate to ask that friend, own more than or the sales associate, to take pho10 but rotate tos with your smartphone. While it four pairs on a regular basis may seem silly at the time, a photo can be an excellent representation — Shop Smart, a division of of how you really look. “Your eyes Consumer Reports and those store mirrors can trick you,” Fasso says. Also, do not shop for jeans the day you need them, says Fasso. Shopping in a moment of desperation only adds to a closet full of clothing you’ll never wear. (See that statistic about owning “10 or more.”) Don‘t be afraid of trends, but shop for them in moderation. Colored denim is incredibly popular right now, Weissman says. A light green, blue (true blue, not denim blue) or even a red pair of jeans can dress up a look. But you probably don‘t want to fill your closet with jeans in every color in the crayon box, as this trend, like so many others, will pass. And, finally, don’t cast off a pair before even trying them simply because it’s from a designer you don’t usually wear. “Be open-minded to different stores and brands and styles,” Fasso says. “If you’re looking for the perfect pair, it might mean that what you’ve been picking isn’t working and you need to try something totally new.”

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25%

see our jeans chart on page 68 

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fashion continued from page 67

The

Best Jeans

for …

APPLE SHAPE

HOURGLASS SHAPE

STRAIGHT OR ATHLETIC

PETITE

PEAR SHAPE

Stretch skinny jean with contoured wasitband

Colorful stretch skinny jean

Low-rise boot cut

A stretch denim that hugs (a straight leg or skinny) will showcase a slim thigh and leg and create curves.

“Slim Illusion” by 7 for All Mankind Tighter construction, intense stretch

1 68

4 5

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“The Skinny” by 7 for All Mankind “Second Skin” legging

“The Dita” by Citizens of Humanity Petite, low-rise boot cut

4 5

Photos and Illustration by Emily Jahn.

Many silhouettes flatter a petite figure — but avoid a wide leg or too-baggy fit, or you may look like you’re drowning in denim.

Denim Don’ts: Don’t wear the wrong size. Too small

will cut in at your waistband and create a muffin top. Too big can be unflattering and make you appear heavier.

Don’t select jeans with long, low-

hanging rear pockets. Too high and long can create a “mom jean” butt. Chose a high pocket to create lift.

Don’t wear jeans that are too low. The “Thong Song” was so 2000.

Don’t wear small pockets, if your rear

Don’t be afraid to tailor to get just

is larger. The general rule is to choose a pocket that is at the center of the fullest part of your cheek.

Don’t wear matching denim on denim,

Sources: Bichi Fasso, assistant store manager at the Boscov’s in Clifton Park; Alexa Franze, denim buyer with Circles in Stuyvesant Plaza in Guilderland.

the right fit. Many times, the tiniest adjustment can make a big difference. unless it’s two different shades, i.e. dark jeans with a light denim top. That works.

Cuts that run smaller in the waist than thigh, light wash

Slight bootcut with dark wash

Mid-rise or contoured waistband

Look for a contoured waistband to avoid a gap.

Darker washes will have an all-over slimming effect.

“Heritage Boot” by Rag & Bone “Stiletto” boot cut

4 5

“Kimmie” by 7 for All Mankind “Supermodel” boot cut

“The Honey” by Joe’s Jeans Curvy boot cut

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cover model q&a

up close with... Amy Wendt by brianna snyder | photo by suzanne kawola

How did you get interested in healthy living and lifestyle coaching? I’ve always been interested in exercise. My parents were both into exercise even before it was popular. It was a big part of my life growing up. In my adult life I exercised as well,

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but I was kind of a basement exerciser [until] a friend of mine asked me to go to a class at the Y. I really loved the whole excitement of being in a group and exercising. And having taught for a long time, I thought it’d be great to combine the two, so I got my certificate. I find it addictive. I’ve gone from going to the classes to teaching the classes. What’s your favorite kind of exercise? Probably interval training because it makes you work really hard and you know that there’s an end to it in a little while. Then you pump it up again. And it works. What kind of diet do you follow? I love healthy food, but I also have a sweet tooth. So I have to treat myself with treats. I eat huge amounts of broccoli, fresh berries, whole wheat pastas, whole grain foods. I’m not into the processed foods, and I like huge quantities of healthy food. Does your family come to your classes at the Y? My daughter comes to my classes and that’s the place where she has to do what I tell her, so it’s fun. My husband exercises at home. We exercise together on Sundays. That’s a nice date. What kind of exercise do you do? We do various DVDs. And then we eat breakfast together. It’s our Sunday-morning tradition. It’s really nice. Do you have a favorite movie? My favorite kinds of movies are foreign films. What do you like about foreign films? I really like bringing in a whole other sense to enjoy the film. Plus, I love the sound of foreign languages. HL

Behind the Scenes

Hair and makeup by Kimberley’s A Day Spa, Latham. Photo taken by Suzanne Kawola at the New York State Museum. Above: Blouse and skirt by Premise, necklace and bracelet by Kenneth Cole. Select clothing available at Boscov’s Clifton Park. Visit facebook.com/healthylife nymagazine to view our Behind the Scenes photo gallery, or scan the QR code at right to link to our HealthyLife photos page on Facebook.

‘Before’ photo by Colleen Ingerto.

efore Amy Wendt, 47, became a lifestyle coach about three years ago at the Guilderland YMCA, she taught business to high-schoolers. She liked that job, she says, but moving from teaching full-time high school to part-time teaching fitness and diabetes prevention has made the last three years a dream. “I’ve changed careers a couple of times,” Wendt says. But change has enriched her life. “I changed husbands, too, and found happiness. ... It’s been 10 years of wedded bliss, I must say.” Wendt lives in Guilderland with her husband, who’s a health care consultant, and her daughter, a cultureloving teen; her son, 20, goes to college. The family loves Tanglewood, Broadway shows and ethnic food. “We love to travel, we love going to cultural events, we love Tanglewood in the summer and Williamstown and SPAC and opera,” she says. “All of the cultural events.” Inspired by her mother, a marathon runner who lost her leg in a car accident and later battled breast cancer, Wendt says healthy living for her is about having a great attitude, just as her mom did. “My mother was one of the happiest people I’ve ever known,” she says. “If my mom, who had so many tragic things happen to her, could still wake up with a smile on her face, I can, too. ... She’s my inspiration for choosing happiness.”

Children whose sleep was affected by breathing problems like snoring, mouth breathing or apnea were 40%-100% more likely than normal breathers to develop behavioral problems resembling A.D.H.D. The Journal Pediatrics, Volume 129, Number 4 April 2012

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